


A Step Upon the Stair

by Crash_Martini



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Feelings Realization, First Meetings, Kaitou Kid Heist (Meitantei Conan/Magic Kaito), M/M, Post-Conan Kudou Shinichi, at least as themselves, hakuba saguru suffers mildly for this, kudou shinichi is overly determined
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27607016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crash_Martini/pseuds/Crash_Martini
Summary: "Now is the dramatic moment of fate, Watson, when you hear a step upon the stair which is walking into your life, and you know not whether for good or ill."Hakuba Saguru finally gets to meet Kudou Shinichi at a Kid heist. They begin to encounter each other more often as time goes on and Hakuba isn't sure if that is a good or a bad thing but he enjoys his company at the very least.
Relationships: Hakuba Saguru & Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Hakuba Saguru/Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan
Comments: 44
Kudos: 121





	1. First Step

**Author's Note:**

> Make the content you wish to see in the world.
> 
> I'm literally making this up as I go but more Hakuba/Kudou needs to exist so onto the internet it goes!

As a detective, Hakuba Saguru was no stranger to moving quickly. Legwork was nearly a requirement in his profession, even more so given that his primary objective for the past several months had been an internationally wanted thief with a penchant for running circles around the police. Anyone who even hoped to see the hem of his cape around a corner needed to be able to run a marathon without issue. It took a ridiculous amount of stamina to physically keep up and that wasn't even delving into the mental acuity it required to discover where they even needed to be running to.

Hakuba Saguru prided himself on being one of the only people in the world to possess a moderate amount of both. Nakamori Ginzo was only getting slower as the years went on and the other members of the task force could hardly keep up in one requirement, let alone both. The only other person he knew to have gotten so close had been the remarkably bright child dubbed the "Kid Killer", but Edogawa Conan hadn't been to a heist in months. Given the overwhelming evidence, it seemed safe to conclude that Saguru himself was the only person around that was both interested in and capable of taking down the thief. So upon returning to Japan he decided to once again offer his services to Nakamori-keibu. It seemed like the right thing to do given his seemingly unique position.

On that note, he hoped his shock at seeing another detective in attendance hadn't shown quite as strongly as it was felt. He was only human after all and seeing the young man he had long admired appearing in his immediate vicinity had brought a whole slew of emotions he hadn't the time nor the mental fortitude to quickly process. In the end, he did what he did best and compartmentalized, even shoving down his mild disappointment when he was denied a proper introduction by the telltale pops of shattered bulbs as Kid made his appearance.

The actual heist had been a flurry of motion, a blur of white in the darkness, and then flashlights showcasing the empty pillow where the Perevorot diamond had been resting only moments before. Elaborate security systems had never stopped the menace before and honestly he hadn't expected it to this time so he was prepared for a chase, quickly taking note of the most opportune exit and nearly shouldering Kudou Shinichi as they met in the archway. He noticed the animated surprise on the other's face even in the darkness and ignored any offense he might have taken at that as they both managed to avoid bowling each other over in their haste to pursue the thief.

So here he was doing exactly what he had anticipated from the moment he stepped foot in the museum; sprinting through the hallways after the thief, only now he had company. Part of him was ecstatic that there was someone else who could also keep up in these crazy chases but it quickly turned against them both as Kaitou Kid started to use them against each other. He had taken note early on that, while Hakuba had longer legs, Kudou's moved quicker. Kid had apparently noticed as well, taking sharp turns in Hakuba's favor and leaving the other less time to course correct, sending him to bounce off walls just to keep his momentum.

"Running into things, Meitantei?" Kid called back at them without so much as a glance as he practically glided along ahead of them both. "Be more careful or you'll end up with bruises!"

Neither of them responded to the taunt but Hakuba could have sworn he heard several colorful swears muttered under the other detective's breath as they continued. He could hardly blame him. Kid was notoriously frustrating and had probably been cussed out more times than either of them could count. If anything, it seemed to bridge some gap in Hakuba's mind between the young prodigy his father had showered with praise and the real, living human being sprinting alongside him. If he hadn't been so breathless at that moment, he might have even smiled. As it was, there were more pressing matters at hand.

Rounding a corner, Hakuba shoved at the nearly closed metal door, holding the edge open for just a second longer than was comfortable just to make sure Kudou made it through without issue. They were met with the heavy iron railing of a fire escape, both hesitating at the sight of a figure quickly descending the zig-zagging flights of stairs. Instinct and past experience said Kid would go up, get height so that he could use his glider to escape, but the evidence pointed down. Simultaneously and without deliberation, both of them decided to follow the evidence and descend the staircase. Knowing that Kudou had come to the same conclusion left him feeling far more confident in his own choice.

They chased the thief down nearly six stories before he leapt across the alley to the adjacent building's iron balcony. It gave Hakuba pause as they rounded the last turn, nearly grabbing for his companion in panic as he refused to slow. He watched in awe as Kudou Shinichi hit the same spot and vaulted across after the thief. Not one to be outdone, Hakuba's pride overrode his fear and he gave himself ample room for a running start before he made the same leap. Unfortunately, his shin had hit the bars rather painfully as he did so and Kudou Shinichi's lead in the chase only became more pronounced as he hefted himself over the guardrail with a grunt and continued on, ducking into the open window after them both.

Abandoned. The whole building had been undergoing renovation and would be heavily guarded during the whole event. But in the time it had taken for Hakuba to catch up, he had lost sight of them both and found himself being used as a vault not two steps into the room, Kaitou Kid leapfrogging over his shoulders as Kudou rounded back toward them. It was an embarrassing collision that he imagined neither of them would ever bring up again but he could hear the amusement in Kid's voice as he sat half-leaning through the windowsill, laughing at the tangled mess of limbs he had created.

"My my, to see you both for the first time in so long only for you to end up in each other's arms? You'll make me jealous, boys," he taunted as he dipped out of the room. He was filled with indignation at the snarky comment but was quickly distracted by the sharp press of Kudou Shinichi's fist against his sternum as he pushed himself to his feet and emptied Hakuba's lungs with a grunt and a hiss. He slowly rolled to his hands and knees to continue the chase but ended up merely watching as Kudou frantically looked about, half dangling out the window and swearing at the missing thief. Judging by the fact that the detective hadn't leapt through the window after him, Hakuba concluded that he had apparently disappeared.

"That bastard..." Kudou huffed, pulling himself back inside with a scowl.

"Slippery, isn't he...?" Hakuba wheezed as he gingerly pushed himself to his feet. He watched curiously as the scowl faded from Kudou's face when he turned to him, instead looking a bit sheepish as he moved closer.

"You alright?" he asked in lieu of a response, reaching his hand out hesitantly in case Hakuba needed assistance. He had to admire the steadfast dedication in the midst of a confrontation with the thief, despite how much pain it seemed to bring. Even more so, he admired his ability to immediately switch to compassion and empathy. Not many professionals in their field were capable of such a thing.

"No harm done. Knocked the wind out of me is all." His voice had mostly returned at least and he rubbed idly at the tender spot just below his ribcage that Kudou had used as a launching pad. "I take it he made off with his prize?"

"Ah, no..." he answered absently, holding up a clenched fist only to reveal the golf ball sized diamond in his grasp. "He tossed it back to me through the window and I had to stop to make sure it didn't hit the floor. That gave him enough time to vanish before I got to the window." There was a note of irritation in his voice as he glanced back toward the aforementioned window, sighing heavily. They had retrieved the diamond at least, but Hakuba knew very well that Kudou likely shared his ache of defeat. Neither of them were really there to recover a jewel after all.

"Nakamori-keibu will be happy, I suppose," he decided, sliding his phone out of his back pocket and dialing the inspector's number as he made his way further into the building to descend like a normal person, stopping short in the doorway and mentally berating himself for forgetting. "Ah, I've been rude," he snapped to himself, turning to find the other much closer behind than he anticipated but Kudou stopped short as well, avoiding another embarrassing mishap. Hakuba held out his hand expectantly. "Hakuba Saguru. We've never properly met."

There was surprise, then confusion, and finally realization crossing Kudou's face as he took his hand in turn and shook. Something about those particular emotions struck him as odd but he would analyze it all later when he had the time to spare.

"Kudou Shinichi. It's nice to meet you," he answered with a smile.

"Likewise."

The dialogue came to an end as Nakamori Ginzo answered his call and Hakuba began to recount the experience, glossing over the bit where the two detectives had ended up in a dog pile. A quick glance to the side and Kudou was mouthing 'thank you' and he could only smile and nod in response.

No they would not be bringing that up again.


	2. Second String

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like twice as long and half as interesting but really, Kid heists are hard to live up to for other criminals

Hakuba wasn't usually first pick when it came to choosing companionship, so he was a bit surprised when his classmate had approached him and asked if he would accompany her after school. It wasn't a date by any means and he would never presume as much, especially when Nakamori Aoko was involved, but it was still an odd request. She was planning to rush home once class was out so that she could grab dinner for her father since he had messaged her at lunch to tell her he would be working late. There was no Kid heist but Nakamori Ginzo was still a member of Division Two despite that fact and there were plenty of other thieves in the world. Apparently there had been a recent string of jewelry store robberies across Tokyo and several members of the task force had been pulled over to assist.

He'd be lying if he were to say he had no interest in such a case so the obvious course of events would be to accompany her on her trip and offer his assistance to officers once they arrived. So he agreed without hesitation, vaguely wondering why it wouldn't be Kuroba Kaito at her side for this endeavor, but his unasked question was easily answered by the long rant he was subjected to on the walk to her house. Apparently she had indeed asked her best friend first but he had 'other plans'. Saguru didn't much have to wonder what those plans could be but he kept his opinions to himself. Nakamori was already upset and she had never taken too kindly to his accusations about her childhood friend.

So he walked with her and listened patiently, only really offering an affirmation here or there as would be required until she wore herself out on the topic and decided that chatting about school would be a much better use of her time with him. Small talk he could manage. He had perfected it over the years, despite how much he dreaded it, and they arrived at the Metropolitan Police Headquarters within a reasonable amount of time. He mentally took note of the exact second as he checked his watch.

But while he had been expecting a rather heated investigation into the burglaries, Hakuba was surprised by the flurry of officers and sirens upon their arrival.

"I wonder what happened...?" Aoko muttered as she watched a pair of officers hurrying past, tucking the wrapped satchel of food closer to her chest. It was only leftovers but she obviously didn't want to drop it and have to run off to find something else.

"I wonder..." Hakuba answered absently, taking note of their surroundings as they approached the front desk to check in. From snippets of conversation and coded keywords over the radio it sounded like there was a robbery in progress, there was a request for backup, and that a hostage had been taken at the scene. His frown was noticeable and drew a curious look from the girl but he quickly covered it up with a smile and a nod, gesturing for her to lead the way.

The elevators were packed with personnel so they opted instead for the stairs. They weren't nearly as busy but there were still several people rushing up and down past them so Hakuba took to walking next to Nakamori as a sort of barrier between her and the passers-by, making sure no one got too close. She seemed to understand what he was doing as well and smiled as she moved closer to the wall.

Thankfully the robbery division wasn't on the top floor but it was high enough to put them both a little out of breath as they reached it and they were both somewhat off put at the current state of things. It was chaos and only proved to strengthen his assumptions that the incident they had heard about in the lobby was related to the jewelry store burglaries that Nakamori-keibu was investigating. They could see the largest of the conference rooms was currently filled with officers, so much so that many were standing just outside of the door to listen. Despite not even being within sight, Nakamori Ginzo's voice was easily carrying over the rest as he shouted orders.

"I guess he really is going to be here super late..." he heard Aoko sigh next to him as she diverted her path down a different hall, toward her father's actual office if he remembered correctly.

"It seems so, Nakamori-san. Perhaps it's best to leave him to his work," he offered as she shuffled away dejectedly. He could hear her muttering something under her breath as she did so but couldn't quite pick out the words, far too distracted with eavesdropping on the investigation. Maybe it was a bit rude to leave her to her own devices after all that time but he couldn't abate his curiosity as he wandered in the opposite direction, closer to the conference room.

There were faces he recognized and faces that were completely foreign. Several of them he remembered being present at Kid heists and he recognized a handful of officers from Division One, including Megure Juuzo who often worked homicide. Obviously something terrible had happened in this particular instance to require his presence.

"The victim's name is Yamamoto Mizuki, a 29-year-old sales clerk at the store. After disappearing with the the suspects via automobile upon the arrival of police, she was found unconscious nearly two kilometers away. Several witnesses claimed to hear multiple gunshots and a pedestrian witnessed the victim being shoved from the car as it passed," he heard one of the officers report, reading from a small notebook.

"Do we have eyes on the suspects?" Nakamori asked loudly.

"Patrols lost them around Haido Park. The car was abandoned in the lot and officers are combing the area."

"What is the current status of the victim?" asked another.

"Critical condition," he heard Megure answer from his spot near the glass window, arms crossed and face pulled into a deep frown. "The ambulance should be arriving at Beika General at any moment. First responders reported two gunshot wounds, one in the chest and one in the back, so she may be in surgery for awhile."

Several more questions and reports were thrown around as he listened in, only looking up when he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. Aoko was next to him again, this time pouting as she looked up at him.

"You're trying to get involved, aren't you?" she asked, accusatory. He found himself a bit helpless in the face of such a weighted question. Was she disappointed? He couldn't quite tell.

"Ah, force of habit. A detective's curiosity is never sated."

"Is that why you agreed to come with Aoko to drop off her dad's dinner?" A sharper accusation but her eyes looked less upset and more resigned, as if it could only be expected of him. Hakuba wasn't quite sure whether he should take that as an insult or not but he would always give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I admit I am guilty of ulterior motives but if it means anything, I really have enjoyed your company," he answered, trying for damage control at this point. The unimpressed look he got in response was enough to convey that it wasn't going well but at least she didn't seem too upset about it either way, only sighing and waving her hand dismissively as she turned to leave.

"It's fine. Aoko's used to boys running off without her," she huffed. He opened his mouth to form a rebuttal but decided against it in the end. Nakamori liked chocolate, right? Hakuba made a mental note to make this up to her somehow but his attention was sharply pulled back to the investigation as Megure answered his phone in the midst of the meeting and began to speak animatedly, tone completely changed. He had missed the first half of the conversation but everyone seemed to be listening intently. Perhaps there had been a development?

"Haido City Hotel? Are you sure?" he asked, waving toward the officer next to him who immediately started to dial their own phone. "Understood. That isn't far from where they found the car. Officers will be en route shortly. Thank you for your assistance but don't go running in there on your own, do you hear me? ...hello? Kudou-kun? Hello...?" Megure frowned as he disconnected the call, turning to the other officer who was already giving instructions over the phone. "Inform them that there's a civilian tailing the suspects and to be cautious."

"A civilian!" Nakamori howled, obviously displeased. "Keep better control of your assets, Megure!"

"Now now, I have two of my best officers in the vicinity. They'll keep an eye on him. In the meantime..." Megure assured, immediately turning back to the task at hand and explaining the current operation but Hakuba had already started running. A civilian consultant for the police named Kudou? There was only one person he knew who fit that bill and if their last meeting had been any indication of his behavioral response to a dangerous situation, then he would likely forgo his own safety to pursue the suspects. The man had leapt across an alley nearly 6 stories up without a moment's hesitation to chase a relatively harmless thief so it was hard to tell how far he would go to chase down two robbers who had already shot a hostage. Stakes were higher and Hakuba had a feeling that Kudou Shinichi was very much a 'high risk, high reward' sort of gambler.

Haido City Hotel was across town however, and Hakuba found himself cursing his lack of reliable transportation at the moment. Calling Baaya now wouldn't help; he could take a train and get to Haido Station before she ever arrived and it was looking like that might be his best option at this point. Frustrating as it was, he rushed to catch the next train at the last minute and tapped his foot impatiently as he counted down the seconds on his watch.

If Kudou had followed the suspects into Haido City Hotel then it was hard to tell what kind of time constraint he was looking at. From Metro, the express train to Haido would take nearly 8 minutes and the distance from Haido Station to Haido City Hotel was around 3.5 minutes on foot. Not to mention the fact that the phone call to Megure had occurred 6 minutes before he even made it onto the train and he'd have to account for the time it would take just to get out of the station in the first place so he was looking at upward of 20 minutes from the moment Kudou made the phone call and when Hakuba would arrive. The suspects could easily kill their tail within that time frame. All those numbers meant nothing if the detective was spotted following them. Hakuba could only hope his compatriot could execute the proper judgement and stay alive.

The minutes ticked down as the train finally arrived and Hakuba shaved off several seconds of his time as he rushed through the terminal, taking the stairs three at a time. Patrols rushed past as he exited the station and he watched them all begin to converge a few blocks away. The hotel wasn't far thankfully and he followed the sirens straight to it, slipping past the makeshift blockade that was being set up. One of the officers spotted him and called out but he was already making a beeline to someone he recognized; Satou Miwako of Division One. She was currently in the midst of what looked to be a very serious conversation with her partner and one of the members of the hotel's staff.

"Satou-keiji!" he called out, grabbing her attention as he slowed to a stop next to the group.

"What are you...?" she began, not recognizing him at first but immediately lighting up and waving off the uniform who had chased him from the media line. "Hakuba-kun, isn't it? You shouldn't be here."

"I heard from Division Two. The suspects are in the hotel?" he asked quickly, not bothering to give any more information than would be necessary to keep him on this side of the yellow tape.

"Y-yes, apparently," she answered, a little taken aback but deciding not to push. If it meant a safe arrest then she would take all the help she could get. Satou had learned to value the opinions of these high school detectives in the past and Hakuba Saguru was the son of the Chief Superintendent so she was hardly in any position to doubt his ability. "Kudou-kun has been in contact with us. It seems the two have barricaded themselves into a room on the 12th floor. Unfortunately they caught wind of him and opened fire so we're in the process of evacuating the hotel. No one seems to have been injured thankfully but we're proceeding with caution. They're backed into a corner so it's only that much more dangerous."

"So he really is in there..." Hakuba huffed, frowning a bit as he glanced up at the towering building. Several groups of people were being escorted from the lobby even as news vans began to set up nearby to document the event. "That person really has no sense of self-preservation, does he?"

"Not really," Satou answered and he looked back to see her exasperated smile. It spoke volumes of the other detective's character that she seemed to know exactly who he was talking about and why. "Regardless, Takagi and I are about to make our way up to confront the suspects. Please stay here. There's a spare radio in the front seat of my car so you can stay informed of the situation," she added, nodding toward the bright red automobile parked haphazardly off to the side. He nodded in affirmation as she turned to her partner and rushed toward the lobby.

Before either of them could quite make it however, there was a loud crash from above as glass shattered out from one of the windows, a large metallic object tipping over the edge and crashing down on the plaza below. Hakuba's eyes adjusted quickly to the source, a window on the 12th floor. The object appeared to be a microwave, likely one of the models placed in the rooms themselves. He barely caught sight of a face leaning out before darting back into the room, too far away for him to make out any of the details. It was hard to tell if that had been a warning or something else but it was immediately followed by a loud scream and a figure emerging from the shattered glass.

Hakuba could only stand and watch in horror as a person tumbled from the window in free fall, coming to a short halt only a few feet below. Whoever it was appeared to be perfectly fine for the moment, though terrified at their current predicament if their shouts were any indication. Not Kudou Shinichi's voice, he realized. But above all the noise, a faint tinkling sound managed to catch Hakuba's attention and he watched as several sparkling objects scattered across the broken glass that had fallen to the cement below. If it hadn't been for the variety of colors, he may have mistaken the pieces for more glass but rushing up to grab one had him quickly determining that these small, shiny objects were likely handfuls of the stolen jewels.

The crowd behind him was shouting wildly, news anchors and onlookers commenting loudly about what was happening. Several questions were being tossed the officers' way but Hakuba doubted that even he could answer them at this point. He had no idea what was happening up there and all he could do was wait it out. Rushing over to the car, he grabbed for the small radio in the front passenger's seat and flipped it on, scanning the channels for information.

It seemed as though the 12th floor had been successfully evacuated before this recent development so the likelihood of the man dangling from the window being one of the robbery suspects had just gone up exponentially. How it happened was still a mystery but he also overheard a very familiar voice begin to shout over the line.

"Suspect B is fleeing down the northwest stairwell!" he heard Kudou's voice come through, staticky and breathless but confident. It was a relief to know that his new ally was unharmed but it also spurred him into action. The emergency stairs on the northwestern side would lead to the parking garage, perfectly visible from where he stood. Before he even realized what he was doing, Hakuba was running in that direction, around the side of the hotel and up the ramp into the garage itself.

"Exiting to the garage on level 6!" Kudou called out again. He heard Satou warning him to stay back but it didn't sound like he was listening. And if they had taken the elevators up to the 12th floor then they would be far behind in the chase. He heard patrol cars skidding in front of the garage entrance behind him to block the exits but he was already rounding the corner to the next floor.

A distant engine roar and the screech of tires from above had him gritting his teeth, thankful for once that he found himself so often running at crime scenes that he had easily built up his stamina over the years. Unfortunately that engine sounded much louder than a standard commercial vehicle, giving off the distinct rumble of a much more powerful truck of some sort. The echo and distance made it hard to determine but even without the make and model Hakuba was quite sure those small patrol cars at the exit would easily be crushed or shoved to the side. There were a lot of people down there who would get hurt if that was the case.

"Shit...!" he heard a voice shout from above, immediately followed by another message over the radio and confirming Hakuba's suspicions. "Suspect hijacked a white EFS delivery truck, Adachi license plate 44-68!" Which meant that the robber was no in a very large vehicle, likely heading his way.

30 seconds. That's how much time he estimated until the truck reached his location. Hakuba stopped running, immediately taking inventory instead. What was currently available that could stop this truck? Aside from collapsing a pillar, there wasn't much of anything around. He had no way of moving the cars to barricade the road and even if he did, a large truck like that would probably just tear through them anyway.

A loud screech of rubber violently reminded him of the countdown. He was down to 15 seconds and dropping quick.

Weak points: tires, axel, windshield, operator. He had no way to pop the tires or damage the axel and breaking the windshield would be extremely dangerous for a pedestrian. So operator. Distract, incapacitate, or remove? No way to remove the driver safely and he had nothing on him to incapacitate but he might be able to cause a distraction.

Radio. EFS delivery trucks used radio communication to keep in contact with their drivers and if he remembered correctly the frequency was...

5 seconds, he reminded himself as he started to notice the headlights descending from the next level up. He didn't have time to do it properly, hastily popping open the back of the police radio to unfortunately ruin any future encryption capability before adjusting the settings and sending the loudest, angriest mechanical screech through the receiver that he could muster just as the truck rounded the corner. He heard the noise echo through the vehicle's cabin just as it began to swerve, hitting the bumper of a parked car as it did so and sending it into a tailspin. Hakuba ran for the cement divider at the edge of the ramp and hopped over the edge and down about 3 meters to the next floor just as the truck slammed into the row of cars parked there.

The sounds of bent metal echoed through the garage, the cacophany of noise giving pause to several officers who had finally caught up. Then there was silence and nothing else in the world felt quite so eerie as the absence of sound after disaster. Hakuba jumped up from where he had rolled to the ground on landing and started to make his way back up and around to the scene.

Several cars had been totalled but the truck lay on its side, unmoving. He sprinted for the hood with the two patrolmen at his side and managed, between the three of them to pull the barely conscious driver from the wreckage just as a familiar face came bounding around the corner from the upper floors.

Kudou Shinichi, completely breathless and obviously scuffed up took all of three seconds to evaluate the scene before he went running in the opposite direction, likely to find another route to the bottom.

There was a rush of activity following the crash. The driver was transfered to the police hospital and thankfully the other suspect had been safely pulled from his makeshift window harness. Hakuba was looked over by a medic after several questions and admonishments by the investigators in charge, he had given a very detailed account of what had happened in the garage, turned in the ruined radio to a very unimpressed Satou Miwako, and ended up being driven back to Metropolitan Headquarters at Nakamori Ginzo's request. Several hours of yelling and more briefings later, Hakuba Saguru was finally free to leave.

He frowned at the time on his watch as he meandered back through the front lobby. Nearly 11pm and his body was reminding him angrily that he hadn't had dinner yet, though he hoped Nakamori-keibu was at least enjoying the leftover curry he had been gifted by his daughter. He chuckled a bit to himself at the mental image that conjured of Nakamori Ginzo shoveling curry into his mouth angrily as he hunched over the massive amount of paperwork he was likely going to have to fill out before ever having the opportunity to leave. Hakuba would have more sympathy for the man if he hadn't spent the past two hours yelling at him for getting involved.

"You're in a strangely good mood after all that." The voice startled him and Hakuba spun rapidly on his toes, the exhaustion and adrenaline both putting him on edge. Kudou Shinichi only offered a placating wave as he approached and Hakuba quite visibly relaxed. "Or not... you alright?"

"Yes, my apologies. Just... very tired," he answered with a sigh but quickly replaced it with a polite smile.

"I would be to if I were you. I got Megure-keibu yelling at me but he doesn't quite have the volume or stamina that Nakamori-keibu does," Kudou laughed, relaxing as he stopped to stand next to him. Hakuba noticed he was still in the tattered school uniform he had seen him in before and he realized that he hadn't yet been told what exactly had happened in the hotel.

"I don't mean to be rude, Kudou-kun, but I have to ask. What happened up there?" He watched the amused smile on Shinichi's face turn strangely shy as he glanced away, as if he wasn't sure if he should even tell but thankfully deciding it was alright.

"Well, I followed them up to the room they had been planning to lay low in but one of them saw me and started shooting before barricading themselves in the room. I had several staff members help evacuate the floor and I was just watching from down the hall but they had some sort of argument so I got closer to listen in and..." he paused, as if debating his words. "It's a bit of a blur but I ended up involved in a fight in the room, one of the suspects got wrapped up and shoved out the window, and the other fled so I ran after him. Then he took the truck and, well, you know what happened next."

"And the microwave?" Hakuba asked, seeking some sort of clarification. He wasn't about to outright call the man a liar but his story didn't make a lot of sense.

"Not really sure. Strange how it was sitting by the window though. Must've gotten knocked into during the fight," he answered, shrugging it away but doing little to answer the question outright. Hakuba realized it was quite possible that Kudou really didn't know but it was also possible that he was protecting himself in a way. It rubbed him the wrong way and it must've shown because the hopeful expression on Kudou's face dropped the longer he watched him. "Not buying it, huh?"

"Not at all," Hakuba answered, his voice sharper than intended but he wanted to push for the truth.

"You won't believe me if I tell you."

"Try me."

"I kicked it," came the simple answer and Hakuba only found that it brought more confusion. "Yeah, I wasn't lying about it getting knocked over during the fight but it ended up out the window because I kicked it." He heard Shinichi laugh when Hakuba glanced down at his legs in mild horror. "It's a long story and less crazy than you'd think but I'm way too tired to tell it tonight."

"But you'd be willing to tell me?" he asked without thinking, still wide-eyed at the strange explanation.

"Well, yeah. If you really want me to?" Kudou answered with a tilt of his head. "It's not a huge secret or anything. At least, not anymore I guess."

"Good. That's... good. I don't like unanswered questions..." he muttered, doing his best to relax as he met the other's eye once again. "Pardon my rudeness, it's just... I'm also very tired."

"Yeah, no problem, Hakuba." Kudou was reaching into his back pocket, retrieving his phone and unlocking it before handing it off to him. He automatically reached for it without realizing what he was even doing. 

"Put your number in and I'll get a hold of you sometime and explain it then."

Hakuba watched him absently for a long moment, long enough to produce a worried look in response but he shook his head of the fog that had accumulated and entered his information. A business card probably would have sufficed. This felt far more personal than requesting his contact number as a colleague, at least in his personal experience. It was an open gesture, friendly even, and a nice change to what he was used to. Once finished, he handed the phone back without a word, unsure of what to say.

"Thanks," was the response he got as Kudou saved the number and looked over the info. Perhaps he would memorize the number like Hakuba tended to do but his thoughts were cut short when he felt the phone in his own pocket vibrate with an incoming message. He pulled it out, looking at the unidentified number and quickly connecting it with Kudou's button tapping. "There. Now you have my number too. It'll be easier to work together from now on."

Hakuba nodded dumbly in response, realizing that he really was far too tired to adhere to the normal standard of interaction. He desperately needed food and sleep and decided to figure out the rest later.

"I'll see you around then?" Kudou continued, looking as though he felt awkward being the one to fill the silence.

"Ah, yes. Please contact me at a later time and we can discuss that long story of yours." He watched the other detective relax a bit with the response, smiling as he made his way past him toward the door.

"Yeah, we can get coffee or something. There's someone you'll have to meet," he answered as he wandered away, calling back last minute as he shoved open the door. "Stay safe getting home!"

And then he was gone and Hakuba felt like perhaps the events of the day had given him some sort of delayed whiplash as he stood there for a long while staring at the number in his phone before he snapped out of it. It only took a few seconds to save the number and then he placed a called to his rather worried Baaya to come pick him up.

What an exhausting day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm giving them long, complicated excuses just to talk to each other
> 
> Let me live


	3. Three of a Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba has a rough day

It was three days after the events at Haido City Hotel that Hakuba Saguru received a message from Kudou Shinichi asking to meet. To say that he hadn't been waiting in anticipation, checking his mail at least once an hour every day to make sure he hadn't missed his correspondence, would be an intentional falsehood. He assured himself that he could have easily been checking his phone twice as often and set alarms for the middle of the night as well, just to make sure. In his professional opinion, his actions were well within an acceptable range of societal expectation. He was interested but not obsessed, despite the strange looks he received.

"Are you expecting a job offer or something?" Kuroba had finally asked him at lunch on the third day of his 'strange' behavior. He was surprised it had taken him that long to snoop into his business.

"Not a job offer. Just a message from a colleague," he answered, pocketing the phone once again. Despite his efforts to keep track of it, he knew he would be helpless to stop him from snatching the device at any moment and going through his messages if he was particularly interested.

"A detective friend?" Nakamori asked innocently, her tiny smile hidden behind the tip of a spoon.

"Something like that," he replied with a smile of his own, immediately frowning when Kuroba was leaning into his space a little too closely.

"You don't have friends, detective or otherwise," he grumbled accusingly, to which he was promptly berated by his childhood friend for being rude. The comment might not have bothered him any other time given the frequency by which he was verbally accosted by the magician and he was surprised at himself for the way he bristled in response.

"Perhaps I'd have a few more if you weren't so insistent on telling everyone who will listen that I'm a bastard," he snapped, immediately swallowing down any further comments at the surprised looks he was receiving. He straightened his posture and turned in his seat to show Kuroba his back, which one should never do under any circumstance, but he was feeling embarrassed by the outburst. "My apologies for raising my voice..."

He didn't hear the boy's response because it was immediately drowned out by Nakamori's insistence that Kuroba was the one who should be apologizing. They sat and continued to argue for several minutes and he forcefully drowned out their voices by mentally cycling through facts about the incident in the parking garage, picking at his own meal with distaste. It was only the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket that snapped him out of it and he nearly knocked the food from his desk in his haste to retrieve it.

 _This is Kudou,_ it read. _If you're free today at 5pm, meet me at Kinsey's Cafe in Beika._ Short and to the point. It was the type of message that left nothing to speculation and Hakuba greatly appreciated it. There were no details up for interpretation and Hakuba wouldn't be required to participate in a long, drawn out discussion of their plans.

 _I will meet you there,_ he answered swiftly, taking a moment to watch for any indication that there would be a continuation to their conversation nonetheless. When nothing else arrived, Hakuba slid the phone back into his pocket and barely registered the pang of disappointment. It was only then that he realized his companions had gone eerily quiet and he looked up to see the two of them staring at him, Nakamori with an air of excitement and Kuroba looking distrustful.

"What is it?" he asked, regretting that he opened his mouth when he saw that the magician was apparently brimming with comments. Thankfully the troublemaker never got to speak a word as a hand landed roughly on his shoulder and he choked in surprise.

"Are you worried about something, Kuroba-kun?" Koizumi Akako asked, making her presence known as swiftly and precisely as a dart into a bullseye. She had always been the type of person to command a presence, but only when she wanted to. It was something she had in common with the thief who was currently masquerading as a normal high schooler. They watched as she leaned down a little closer to join their conversation, perhaps a little too close to Kuroba's ear than was probably appropriate. "Does it bother you that Hakuba-kun has contacts outside your realm of knowledge?"

"I'd have to actually be paying attention to who he's talking to for something like that to bother me..." Kuroba turned away, losing all interest in the topic by the looks of things. Hakuba knew that he was likely still listening in but there was no physical indication of it.

"But what if Hakuba-kun were in contact with KID-sama's greatest threat?" she continued airily, leaning back to brush the hair off her shoulder with an elegant but precise swipe of her hand.

"Hakuba-kun already talks to Aoko's dad though," Nakamori interrupted, looking confused. "And he looked too happy to be messaging someone about that dirty thief anyway!"

"No offense to your father, Nakamori-san, but I don't think he's the greatest threat that Kid has faced. Wouldn't you agree, Hakuba-kun?" Hakuba turned to face them again at the question, hesitant but amenable. Now that Kuroba had been somewhat cowed, he felt comfortable giving his opinion once again.

"Unfortunately yes, I would have to agree. It pains me to admit it but I do believe that the greatest threat Kaitou Kid has faced in recent times has been a grade schooler who is far too bright for his own good..." His thoughts travelled back to stories of the KID Killer's exploits. He had never seen Edogawa Conan face off against KID in person but he had met the boy on two separate occassions and he could adamantly affirm that he was intuitive enough to give any of them a run for their money. Though he wondered how well Kudou Shinichi stacked up against the famous miniature sleuth in a duel against their illustrious thief. After throwing caution to the wind at their first meeting, Hakuba thought that if anyone could fill those tiny red shoes it would be Kudou Shinichi. The private admission had him feeling only a little bit sour but he noticed that the girls were giving him odd looks and it brought the realization that he had briefly zoned out of their conversation.

"Ah, my apologies. Being outdone by a seven-year-old leaves a bruise on one's ego," he chuckled, waving it away with a smile. "Putting that aside, I will clarify that no, it was not Nakamori-keibu and no, it has nothing to do with Kaitou Kid. At least not at the moment. The message was about a recent case that has left me with a number of unanswered questions that I have been promised answers to by the other detective involved. I don't like leaving loose ends on a case and there were several points of interest that were simply bewildering."

"Is it a lady detective?" Nakamori asked suddenly and he now understood why she had looked so excited earlier at his haste to answer his phone. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment, more so that he had allowed her to come to such a conclusion than of the conclusion itself.

"No, Nakamori-san. It is not a lady detective," he answered, coughing into the back of his hand to hide his discomfort. She looked incredibly put out at that and he could almost feel her disappointment from two seats away. It was then that Kuroba decided to butt in once again.

"I told you there was no way it was a girlfriend, Ahoko," he hissed from behind her, poking roughly at her shoulder.

"Kaito didn't know! It could've been!" she growled back and Hakuba spun around in his seat again as they argued, balking even further at the raised eyebrow and knowing smile that the class idol sent his way. It strangely felt more like Koizumi had been asserting herself in his mind than actually questioning his actions, but he had had quite enough of this type of conversation for one day.

Thankfully he somehow managed to fly under the radar for the rest of the school day, allowing his classmates to argue amongst themselves about his extracurriculars even as he politely sprinted out the door ahead of them as soon as the class was dismissed.  
He really didn't think he had the mental fortitude to continue with their line of questioning so he made sure to leave it behind in the classroom despite Nakamori Aoko's insistence that she only had a couple of questions.

Instead he shoved such mortifying memories to the back of his mind, collected his shoes, and hopped on the first train to Beika. A quick text to Baaya and he was in the clear for dinner so he checked to see if there had been anything else from Kudou and he was starting to worry about his own inability to control his face when he realized he was smiling at the confirmation of another response.

 _See you then!_ it said. Such an innocuous statement and yet his face lit up in delight. It took far too much effort to regain his composure after reading the brief message and he spent even longer contemplating whether or not he should send another reply before realizing he had reached his stop. He shook his head to dislodge the thought and disembarked quickly, knowing with distinct familiarity that Haido Station was in fact the closest station to Kinsey's Café, despite it's location in Beika. Due to the quiet, homey atmosphere it had become a sort of home base for him anytime Hakuba's work brought him to this section of the city. He hadn't been back in nearly a year and he felt somewhat relieved when the name had come up as the location of his impending meeting. It was familiar and that made it comfortable.

What wasn't comfortable however was exactly how long he realized he had until the designated time of meeting. Tokyo was a large metropolis filled with a multitude of districts that each held their own collection of schools, shops, and various points of interest. It just so happened that Ekoda and Beika were a short trip away from each other with Shinjuku acting as a sort of halfway marker between the two, off center though it was. In his haste to escape his overly curious classmates, Hakuba had been all to eager to depart for a location that was a mere twenty minute trip by train and his still had over an hour until the agreed upon time. He blamed his excitement at the prospect of not only learning the truth about the strange goings-on at Haido City Hotel but also the possibility of gaining an ally with similar interests. 'Friend' might be the correct term but Hakuba wouldn't be so bold as to assume.

He hesitated for a moment on the platform, debating his options when something odd caught his eye. There was some sort of scuffle happening at the other end of the platform, two men arguing and engaging in a heated tug of war over what appeared to be a dark canvas bag. The distance made it impossible to hear what was being said over the din of train horns, arrival announcements, and the general medley of conversation amongst dozens of other passengers. Several of those passengers were moving away from the two quickly as they yanked each other around and it didn't seem as though there were any attendants close by so Hakuba felt it was his duty to step in.

Hakuba had gotten nearly halfway to them when the strap's hook came loose and one of the two went stumbling back against a wooden barrier, knocking it to the ground. It looked as though there was some sort of construction happening on this level of the station and he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, his brain supplying his body with reactions to information it had yet to fully process.

It was dangerous to let the confrontation continue in such a location and he hurried his steps as the man on the ground, a middle aged gentleman with a receding hairline, reached up for the bag once again. The other, who he could now clearly see appeared to be a young salaryman with glasses and a dark suit, yanked it even further away with a yell and Hakuba watched in horror as the older man stumbled back over the wooden barrier he had knocked down before. Despite his quickened pace, the young detective could do nothing as the man grabbed for the loose tarp covering what was clearly the absence of a gate behind him, finding no solid purchase and tumbling back through the missing section of wall.

The screams around him were drowned out as he ran to the edge and took in the sight of a twenty foot drop to solid pavement and the broken body that had come to a hard stop below. This was the part that never got any easier no matter how many times he saw it. Watching someone die in such a violent way really was more than any person should have to bear witness, and yet he had resolved himself long ago to regularly subjecting himself to the aftermath.

"I-I... I didn't... he just..." came the voice from behind. Hakuba turned to see the younger offender backing away with wide eyes as two attendants pushed through the crowd of onlookers. Now that he could get a good look at the man, it was apparent that he was even younger than Hakuba had first estimated, likely early twenties. The ring on his finger suggested that he was married even at such a young age and the quality of his suit demonstrated a reasonable amount of wealth. The fraying at the edges of his cuffs refuted that idea however leaving him to wonder if he had recently come into money troubles.

"Please call for an ambulance and inform the authorities that there's been an incident," Hakuba barked, immediately turning to the attendants and taking charge of the scene. There was no time to lose if he wanted to check on the man who had fallen. It seemed unlikely that he survived such a fall given the frankly staggering amount of blood but he had to be sure. "And see that this man is detained until they arrive. They'll want him for questioning," he added as he hurried past them toward the exit, ignoring their shouts of protest.

It only took four minutes to get out of the station and find the correct side of the building, arriving to a crowd of onlookers that thankfully knew enough to stand back. Only one person was even close, kneeling next to the body in a blue blazer and plaited skirt. Short, unkempt hair spoke of a general air of untidiness and Hakuba would have been irritated by her presence if not for the confident and concise way she was checking for vitals. Despite her apparent image as a high school student, the girl knew what she was doing.

"I requested an ambulance but from the look of things it won't be necessary," Hakuba commented grimly as he approached. She didn't turn to look but a tilt of the head told him that she had heard his words.

"Unfortunately it won't do him much good at this point," she answered with a sigh, grunting slightly as she straightened herself up to stand. He followed her gaze as she tilted her head back to see the tarp above them, loose and swaying in the wind, revealing one of the attendants as they cautiously watched the group from above. A couple of guards were finally finding their way around the building as well, immediately trying to move everyone back and the two of them were swept up in the effort. No more words were exchanged between the two but the police arrived within minutes and Hakuba wasn't surprised when the young woman pushed through the line alongside him to reach the familiar officers in charge.

One glance in their direction had Satou Miwako leveling them both with an exasperated glare as she tapped the arm of Megure Juuzo and pointed them out. To her credit, Satou's last encounter with Hakuba at least had been less than optimal so he could hardly blame her for her reaction. Thankfully, Megure-keibu seemed far more accepting.

"Hakuba-kun and Sera-kun. I'm starting to suspect that there's some secret plot to overthrow my entire department with teenage private eyes," he huffed, but his smile betrayed the mirth behind his words. Hakuba hadn't had the pleasure of working alongside Division One very often and he was starting to think Kudou Shinichi spoiled for having such positive interactions with the police force.

"It's nothing like that, Keibu-san!" the girl, Sera-kun he had named, answered back with a laugh and a bright smile. Her accent was foreign but distinctly vague and Hakuba had a hard time placing it. "I just happened to pass by on my way home. I wasn't expecting a man to fall out of the sky in front of me."

"I see, so you witnessed the fall then?"

"I didn't see him fall, but I did get to him first. The victim died on impact and I just so happened to see the person standing on the ledge of the platform from where he fell." Her words clipped at the end and Hakuba found himself fixed with a hard stare, sharp green eyes locking on to his face for a long moment before the look softened and she shrugged. "But judging from the look of this guy, I don't think he's the one that did it."

"You would think correctly," Hakuba chimed in with a polite smile. "I was most assuredly present for the altercation that led to this incident however. There was a fight on the Seibu-Shinjuku platform. Unfortunately I was unable to intercede in time and the two men involved had gotten too close to the construction zone and the victim stumbled back into the loose cover as you can see above. Self-explanatory from there. Though I did ask the attendants to hold the other gentleman involved for questioning."

"I see..." Megure said with a frown, glancing from the body up to the ledge above. Forensics was already on the scene, taking pictures while the other officers controlled the area and kept the onlookers away. "Alright. Satou-kun, take Takagi-kun and question this other man involved. I want to know exactly what happened and why they were fighting in the first place." A quick agreement and the two were off, rushing through the crowd and toward the entrance to the station. Several others had already made their way inside and likely had control of the area above so their job would be much easier. "In the meantime, I'd like to sit down with the two of you and take your statements if you don't mind."

They both agreed, spending the next 28 minutes detailing everything they had seen and heard at the time of the incident. Hakuba had far more to say given that he had witnessed the actual fight but Sera had pointed out a handful of details that he hadn't had the chance to ascertain, like the button affixed to his jacket pocket being nearly ripped clean off. It was odd, as he distinctly remembered the man falling back and he hadn't remembered his clothes catching. If anything, it should be the jacket closures that came loose during the fight but those buttons were still firmly attached.

Additionally, the way the shoulder of his jacket was torn at the seam stuck out as well but there wasn't enough evidence at that point in time to suggest it was anything other than a consequence of the fall itself.

Eventually Megure received a call from Satou and stepped away for privacy and it was only then that he was left alone once again and Hakuba checked his watch with a frown. 4:37. The walk to Kinsey's would probably take no more than 12 minutes but that only left an 11 minute window to resolve the situation at hand and there were still several things that bothered him about what the others were now referring to as an accident. He still felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle and begrudgingly pulled out his phone under the watchful eye of the other high schooler and began typing up an apology.

"Did you have somewhere to be?" she asked from the side, likely picking up on his body language. He hadn't exactly been hiding his desire to leave.

"I was on my way to meet someone but it appears I'll have to cancel." He heard her hum in response as he looked over the message before hitting send, making sure to mention his regret but informing him that a case had popped up out of nowhere and he couldn't leave any work half finished. With a mournful sigh, he turned his attention to her fully. It would be rude not to. "I was really looking forward to it too..."

She gave him an apologetic half-smile but whether or not she had planned to say anything in response went unresolved as Megure returned from his call and both of them happily abandoned the conversation to give him their undivided attention.

"A receipt was found on the body belonging to Sugimoto Keisuke-san, the man he had apparently been arguing with on the platform. Sugimoto-san claims that after leaving his bag behind to use the bathroom he caught the victim, Moriwata Hideki-san, with his missing bag upon leaving the train. He then confronted Moriwata-san about the stolen bag which led to the altercation on the platform. During the incident, the victim apparently lost his grip on the broken strap of the bag and stumbled back into the loose tarp that had yet to be fully gated off, falling to his death." Megure was still marking in his notepad as he spoke, frowning to himself and appearing unsatisfied with the outcome. A quick glance to Sera-san revealed a similar look and Hakuba was relieved that he wasn't the only one with reservations.

"According to several attendants," he continued, "Moriwata-san regularly turned in abandoned items to the station. Only once had there ever been an issue with an item returned when a woman around a month ago had discovered that her engagement ring had gone missing. Apparently she had placed it in the bag due to the nature of her job at a local bakery and had misplaced it on her way home. Upon checking the contents once returned, the ring was nowhere to be found. Apparently she searched all over the station for it to no avail.

"So judging by the fact that Sugimoto-san's receipt was found in Moriwata-san's jacket pocket, it appears as though our victim has been stealing bags and the like from other passengers, usually only taking something that might be overlooked, and then turning the rest over to the station."

"What kind of receipt?" Sera asked, a familiar look in her eye. Hakuba was starting to wonder if there was an oversaturation of teenage detectives in Tokyo.

"The receipt was for a business meal at La Cucina, an Italian style restaurant in Shinjuku. It totalled 25,000 yen." A whistle was the only response he received from her before Hakuba interjected.

"It's strange that Moriwata-san would take such a meaningless item."

"It looks as though Sugimoto-san's credit card information is listed on the receipt. It's possible that he was looking to use that," Megure offered, but even he didn't look convinced.

"What was inside the bag? Was there anything else missing?" Sera continued for him.

"There was the wallet containing 1,000 yen, a couple of business files detailing plans for an upcoming company promotion, and Sugimoto's smart phone, one of the latest models, in the front pouch as well as a handful of ballpoint pens. Nothing else appears to have been taken according to Sugimoto-san."

"Ehh..." was the only response again as Sera tilted her head, losing herself to her own thoughts.

"What about the bag itself?" Hakuba continued in her stead, easily bouncing off her line of questioning. It was always nice to have another sharp mind on the scene. "The strap that broke looked to be held by a metalic swivel trigger clip with a snap hook. How exactly did it come undone?"

"Apparently the fastener snapped where the hook locks into place and came loose from the ring it was connected to. They still can't find such a tiny piece so the bag now only has the little rounded hook to keep it together. There's no closure," the inspector explained. The fact that he was even humoring their questions already felt like a privilege but for him to actually listen to their input felt like fantasy after so many months of being overlooked by Division Two. Yes, Kudou Shinichi was definitely spoiled, he decided.

"Then it's obvious, isn't it?" Sera concluded in his place and Megure gave her a questioning glance, not yet on the same page.

"This was no accident, Keibu-san," Hakuba chimed in. "A crime was commited right before my very eyes. I can hardly let that stand."

"Are you saying this was murder, Hakuba-kun?"

"Absolutely," was Sera's answer. "All the evidence points to it. Moriwata Hideki may have been a thief, but Sugimoto Keisuke is a murderer and I can prove it."

Hakuba followed behind as Sera led the both of them into the train station, explaining her conclusion as she went. It was nothing that he hadn't already figured out on his own so he took that moment to check his phone once again. 4:43. There was another reply from Kudou.

 _I understand,_ it read and Hakuba was ever thankful for the other detective's patience. _Thanks for the head's up. I'm headed to Kinsey's anyway to meet with the person I mentioned before. Send me an email if you finish up quickly. I should be there for awhile._

He despised running late but if Kudou was willing to push back their meeting time then Hakuba was willing to still attempt it. That only meant they needed to finish this case as quickly as possible.

"So given the stress on the rounded tip," he heard Sera explaining, demonstrating her reasoning with the aid of a civilian's purse strap as they stood around the cordoned off area of the Seibu-Shinjuku platform. "There's no way the spring trigger would snap and dislodge. The hook would have to be completely sideways and stuck that way. They're designed to keep the weight held by the solid metal bar and not the spring."

"Precisely. So, the evidence suggests that it wasn't the fight that caused the broken strap," he added as he stepped forward, coming face to face with Sugimoto Keisuke himself, looking far less shocked and upset than before. In fact, he was starting to look downright uncomfortable as he clutched the bag to his chest. "But you already knew that, didn't you, Sugimoto-san?"

"What exactly are you implying?" came the expected and completely unoriginal rebuttal.

"I'm not implying anything. Other than the fact that the strap was already broken by the time you confronted Moriwata-san."

"If it was then I didn't realize! I don't pay that much attention to the bag. I never really cared if it got lost, I just needed that receipt to turn in at work." Of course. Hakuba sighed, knowing he wouldn't give up without a fight.

"I suppose that's possible. It wouldn't be that difficult to overlook. Though I have to wonder, a young man such as yourself in charge of hosting a dinner with business associates to discuss a company project. Why would you leave such important information behind?"

"There's nothing particularly secret about those files. I handed off the rest to the clients I met before."

"Ah, but I wasn't talking about the files," Hakuba pointed out, vaguely catching a knowing grin on Sera's face as he explained. "I was talking about your smart phone." The look of terror that crossed his suspect's face was enough proof for him but he needed to give the police enough to form a proper case. "A young professional with no laptop present to attend a business meeting, it's obvious that you use your phone to organize your daily life. Why would you leave such an important item in a bag that you freely admit to not caring about?"

"It's... it's only a business phone."

"A brand new, state-of-the-art smart phone? What a kind employer."

"I must have mixed them up and had the business phone in my pocket and left my personal phone in the bag. It's an honest mistake!"

"Two phones then," Hakuba confirmed, turning away from him as he continued. "One in your pocket and one in the bag. Allow me to explain the events as I have deduced them. I believe you left your bag alone on purpose, Sugimoto-san. You wanted Moriwata-san to take the lost bag. You watched and waited for him to swipe the wallet, making sure he would be disappointed by the cash amount so that he would take the receipt with your credit card information instead. Finding such an item on his person would be damning evidence. You then confronted him to retrieve the bag, twisting it away so that the strap came loose and he staggered backward into the construction area. It was then that Moriwata-san must have realized he was caught because he tried to reach into his pocket to remove the evidence but you were quick to stop him, yanking his arm away and covering it with the pull of the bag. That's how his sleeve became ripped and the button was pulled out. And it was that particular action that sent Moriwata-san falling to his death. Do you deny the events as described?"

There was silence all around as Hakuba's final question rang in their ears. There were several shocked looks, some serious, but only one lopsided grin. Of the now five other high school detectives he had met, Sera was one of only two he thought to be on potentially good terms with. Given that one of those detectives was dead and another was incarcerated for his murder, he supposed he really only had Kudou or Hattori to compare her to and she was much too agreeable to be anything like the so-called Great Detective of the West.

"There's no way I could have known he'd take the bag. How would he have even known it was unattended?" the man continued to argue desperately. After so much discussion though, Hakuba was glad that his new companion answered for him.

"The phone was ringing," she responded, almost too cheerfully. "You called the phone from the restroom after Moriwata-san boarded the train. When it continued to ring with no sign of an owner to answer it, of course he took it. As proof, I'm sure if we check the call logs of your personal and business phone there will be a call between them around the time that he boarded the train."

Sugimoto Keisuke looked an absolute wreck as his story was pulled apart by the tag-team deduction, dropping to his knees and letting the bag slip to the floor. He hadn't even needed to ask as the reason for his actions started to tumble from the man's lips unbidden.

"He killed my fianceé," he muttered as angry tears started to form at the corners of his eyes. "I had proposed to her a few months ago and we had just started planning the wedding when that bastard stole the engagement ring from her bag." The explanation started to grow louder as Sugimoto started screaming at the people present. "It was my mother's ring! She died 10 years ago and I used the same ring to propose but when it went missing, Rina couldn't accept that it was lost! We were already struggling with other debts, there was no way I could afford another ring just then! She looked everywhere trying to find it but couldn't! The guilt ate at her until she couldn't take it anymore and she swallowed a whole bottle of sleeping pills, leaving me a note only saying how sorry she was for losing such an important heirloom...

"Then a week after she died, I went to pawn off my old watch just to help cover the cost of her funeral and I see that guy talking to the shop owner about the beautiful ring he had sold him. After he left I asked about it and there it was! My mother's ring right there on display! I couldn't forgive him, so I started following his route and watching his pattern until I came up with this idea! He deserved it!"

Sobs wracked the man's body as he was handcuffed and escorted away and Hakuba could only look on with an expression of hardened regret. No matter the excuse, he still couldn't understand why. He could explain the cause and effect that led to the decision to kill another person but Hakuba had never found understanding in it. Part of him hoped he never did.

"It's tragic, isn't it?" he heard Sera ask as she moved to stand next to him, watching Sugimoto be led away with a similar expression on her own face. "To think something like that could matter so much to someone that they'd take their own life."

"To take someone's life, whether it be the life of another or your own, I have found it to always be tragic," was his sorrowful response even as he tried to push it all out of his mind with single, deep breath. "There is no use dwelling on such things. The case is solved and the guilty party will face their due justice." Another check to his watch. 4:58. Tardiness was unavoidable at this point so there was also no use dwelling on the time. Another sigh and decided to send another email letting Kudou know that he had finished with the case just as Sera's attitude morphed into something much more positive.

"Sorry about your date," she chirped, reaching her arms up to stretch in the most unlady-like fashion. It almost distracted him from her words but he was sputtering indignantly before she could even lower her arms.

"A date!?" he choked out after several moments of collecting his thoughts even as Sera started walking away with a noticeable bounce in her step. She reminded him a bit of Nakamori Aoko if he was being honest with himself. "No, I am simply running late for a meeting with a colleague in Beika."

"Sorry, sorry!" she laughed, the tone of her voice still teasing even so. "You just looked really sad before so I thought it might be a girlfriend or something." It was the second time that day someone had mistaken his responses for something romantic in nature and he was very interested in figuring out why, but at a later time when he wasn't already expected to be somewhere.

"It is supposed to be an enlightening conversation so of course I would regret cancelling." Somehow it sounded dishonest to his own ears so he could only imagine what Sera had gleaned from the statement. But her attention had been lost at some point and she was now half jogging toward the doors to the front courtyard.

"Late to the party today, aren't you?" she called cheerfully as she bounded through the crowd to what turned out to be a very familiar head of neatly combed hair. He was left to wonder if every detective in Japan knew each other as he caught Kudou Shinichi's eye over her shoulder before she was backtracking as Kudou made his way over.

"Yeah yeah, it sounds like you two handled it just fine," he heard Kudou laugh and Hakuba swelled with the praise. It seemed like Sera did too, physically in her case as she puffed out her chest dramatically.

"I may not be my brother but I know a thing or two here and there!" she huffed proudly and he was laughing again. They must be friends already, he noted.

"I'm sure he's proud of you."

"I... I apologize for my tardiness," Hakuba sighed, unsure of how to even approach the situation. He had been given every indication that Kudou Shinichi would be at the restaurant by now and he had intended to message. His sudden appearance left him unprepared.

"Hm? Oh don't worry about it." Kudou was waving it off, an easy smile on his face as he stopped in front of him. Hands in his pockets and bag nowhere to be seen despite wearing his school uniform, he looked about as casual as one could be at the scene of a crime. He wondered about the effect that must have on calming a crowd. "I was actually on my way there when I noticed the patrol cars heading this way so I decided to stick my nose in. Megure-keibu just explained it to me outside."

"Eh? Your date was with Shinichi-kun?" Sera suddenly asked, immediately grabbing their attention. Hakuba felt his cheeks grow warm again, having barely just recovered his normal skin tone from the last time she had used the term. He noticed the way Kudou's shoulder's hiked up just as defensively, a bit of color staining his face as well. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one being teased today.

"I already told you that it wasn't a date!" Hakuba's voice came out nearly an octave higher than usual so it was far less reprimanding than he intended, only managing to to draw out a laughing apology as Sera started to make her way back to the doors.

"Sorry! Anyway, I'll leave you to it! I'm sure Mom's wondering where I am. I was supposed to grab takeout on my way home," he rambled off, spinning on her heel and strolling casually out the door as if she hadn't just made their meeting irreversibly awkward.

"She... sorry about her," Kudou mumbled, scratching at the back of his head. "Having her around is a bit like having an embarrassing little sister."

"I'm starting to think that you really are the only other reasonable high school detective in the country," was the answer he provided, willing the mortification away as well as he could. At least it got another laugh out of him.

"You're probably the only person who's ever met me that thinks that."

"I have found it to be true."

"You obviously haven't known me long enough."

"No, but I'd like to get to know you more," Hakuba answered before his brain could catch up with his mouth. He realized far too late that his words were weighted but Kudou either missed the connotation or decided to take mercy on him because he only smiled and nodded toward the doors.

"Then come on. Let's go eat. The Professor is already waiting."

"A 'professor'?" he repeated, falling into step next to him as Kudou led them away. "Professor of what exactly?"

"You'll see," was the only answer he received, paired with strangely familiar grin and a wink that had his chest swelling the same as if it had been a particularly nice compliment.

Another thing to analyze later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter with hardly any interaction. Honestly I just wanted Hakuba to solve a murder case.


	4. Four Count

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakuba really just wants a friend but maybe there's more to it. He gets one either way.

Hakuba Saguru was no stranger to charm. It was a tool he utilized for a variety of reasons, whether it be earning the trust of a suspect or calming a room of frightened witnesses. He had realized early enough in his career that it had its uses outside of crime scenes and cases as well. A casual compliment to the desk clerk down at Metro could get him access to the evidence room and one for Baaya might earn him a little leeway when he came home past curfew. Experimentation had proved that his general look and demeanor also played a major role in the reactions he received. Dressing sharply in a fitted suit with perfectly coiffed hair and an assured smile would get him further than a slightly baggy gakuran and an air of determination. Charisma wasn't just in how a man spoke after all, no matter how shallow it may seem. There was a science to it and it definitely involved a perfect mix of sights and sounds to create a presentation. Hakuba knew this quite well.

So he was genuinely perplexed and somewhat irritated when they arrived at Kinsey's and the waitress who greeted them seemed to almost melt under the attention of the man next to him, still dressed in his school uniform with his hair a bit disheveled from the wind.

"It's good to see you again, Kudou-kun," the young woman greeted immediately. He watched as she straightened her posture and smoothed the lines of her skirt, an obvious clue that she was trying to make a good impression. Professionals often righted themselves when greeting clients so he could hardly suspect her motives, but something about it struck him as being more flirtatious than it should have been.

"Hey, Emi-chan! It's been awhile," came the effortless response, and he saw Kudou turn his entire attention to her as they stepped out of the doorway. The grin on his face was toothy and bright and Hakuba wondered if she actually knew him as more than a customer.

"It has. Are you staying with us today or did you want me to put in your take out order?"

"No, we're actually meeting with someone for lunch."

"Oh!" she chirped, realization dawning. She turned to regard the seating area behind her, only pausing her apparent search to offer a quick bow and thanks to a couple as they wandered past toward the exit. "If you're looking for Agasa-hakase, I believe he's in the alcove," she said, pointing to a section near the back that was partially obscured by high wooden partitions. Hakuba knew it well as the quietest spot in the establishment.

"Perfect. We'll head back there then." He smiled even as he smoothed his hair back into place and moved past, Hakuba following at a relative pace. His own smile was ignored, the waitress having her eyes fixed on the back of his companion's head as he shook his bangs back into place. It had been a completely mundane action but even Hakuba had found the way his hair had dedicated itself to poking out at odd angles seemed rather charming.

It was frustrating, to say the least.

"I take it you come here often, then?" he asked, eyes suddenly fixed on the back of Kudou's neck where his collar had started to curl from the movement. Unkempt, was the word that came to mind. He supposed that there were several women attracted to men like that, seeing some appeal in the idea of caring for someone who couldn't take care of themselves. Hakuba very much doubted that Kudou Shinichi fell into the category of being unable to care for himself but he apparently knew how to make it look like he did. Feigning weakness could have its own uses, he supposed. A dangerous suspect underestimating the abilities of a young man like Kudou Shinichi would be digging their own grave. He was sharp as a tack with the aggressiveness of the devil when it came to case work at least and Hakuba pitied any miscreant foolish enough to cross his path.

"Whenever I get stuck on my own for dinner," was flippant reply, accompanied by only a quick glance over the shoulder. "Sometimes I just grab something from a convenience store but I get tired of that kind of stuff pretty quick."

"So you don't cook for yourself," Hakuba concluded, catching the very pointed way Kudou spun his head back around.

"Not really... I'm no good at it."

Hakuba hummed his response, the short walk to the other end of the room not leaving either of them enough time for a full blown conversation on the matter. There were things he could ask about later but he filed them away from now.

"Oh, there you are, Shinichi!" An overly exuberant greeting from a heavy set man in his mid to late 50's, maybe older judging by the stark white hair that curled up behind his ears. Round spectacles sat on a round nose and did nothing to block out the genuine spark in his eye as he stood to welcome them warmly, waving an arm toward the table. "Have a seat! This is the other detective you were telling me about?"

"Yeah, it is. Hakase, meet Hakuba Saguru. Hakuba, this is Agasa Hiroshi, my neighbor."

Two.

The introduction was plain and would never pass in a formal setting given the startling lack of information but Hakuba offered his hand nonetheless, swallowing thickly as he shook the man's hand. Kudou had promptly left the conversation, taking a seat opposite Agasa's and sliding a laminated sheet of menu items closer so that he could read.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Agasa-hakase," Hakuba greeted awkwardly, feeling as if his mouth was full of gravel as he spoke. The details provided hadn't been nearly satisfactory though and his mouth opened before he could second-guess his reasons. "As he said, I'm Hakuba Saguru. A high school detective, like Kudou-kun. We were both recently involved in the same case and Kudou-kun told me that you might be able to provide some much-needed insight into what happened."

"A case? You mean the one at Haido City Hotel?" the man asked curiously, turning to Kudou for confirmation as they took their seats. It felt strange to take the seat directly next to Kudou but the table didn't offer room for seating on all sides so he delicately took the chair at his side and primly focused on the man across from them both.

"Yeah, that's the one." Apparently having already decided on his order, he pushed the menu to the side for Hakuba to look over. "The two jewelry store burglars who took the store clerk hostage."

"I remember. It sounded like a nasty incident..."

"Well, I was telling him about what happened after I got dragged into the room and he didn't believe me," Kudou offered and the blond sputtered in response. His word choices were making it sound as though Hakuba had outright accused him of lying, which he would absolutely deny to his final breath. But his reaction went either unnoticed or ignored as he continued.

"To be fair, neither did Megure-keibu when I tried telling him the window broke from one of the suspects falling against a microwave that happened to be sitting on the table next to it."

It was the same false report that he had offered Hakuba that very same night. He was somewhat pleased that an Inspector had also caught onto the strange phenomenon. Such things could make or break a case. Every detail was important and with Kudou Shinichi technically labeled a civilian, there would be an even harsher inquiry into the specific events that took place. What shocked him more however was that fact that the other high school detective, renowned for assisting Division One on dozens of cases and bringing his own ridiculously fair share of criminals to justice, had lied to the police. It wasn't a particularly useful detail to the case but it set a discomforting precedent. If he could lie to the police about something like that then what else could he lie about? Things could snowball quickly into a much more dangerous offense and Hakuba frowned as he imagined what Kudou Shinichi's mugshot might look like. The tabloids would have a field day.

"The truth is," he continued, barely snapping the blond out of his mental spiral. "I ended up in a bit of a tough spot. One of the culprits was all knotted up in some climbling rope like he was ready to abseil down the side of the building. They'd been arguing about what to do when I got too close and the other one pulled me into a headlock, probably intending to use me as another hostage." Even when describing such a harrowing ordeal, there was a joy that seemed to undercut every word almost like a child explaining their favorite action scene in a movie. It was detached and excited and a fair bit worrying if he were being honest with himself.

"They were still fighting over the bag of jewels but I managed to get out of his grip since the gun was across the room and there was a whole bunch of junk near the door where they had started blocking it off. I kicked the microwave - it was the smallest thing in the pile - and it shattered the window behind them. I guess the guy took it as an opportunity to run and ended up tearing the bag when he shoved his partner out the window. If I hadn't had to stay and make sure the rope was secure, I wouldn't have lost him in the parking garage. Thankfully, Hakuba was there to assist. It was a little messy but we won out in the end."

Three, his brain prompted but he pushed it aside once again.

"It is the 'kicking' of the microwave that I'm having difficulty with," Hakuba admitted with a frown. The story was consistent with the events he witnessed at least.

"You didn't show him?" Agasa asked, sounding very much like he couldn't believe that the teenager wouldn't duplicate the feat of strength. A showman not displaying his talents for an audience was like Kaitou Kid quietly sneaking in to steal a gem without anyone the wiser. It didn't make sense and Agasa Hiroshi had come to that same conclusion it seemed.

"It was like midnight and my legs were on fire from running all night," Kudou whined, slumping against the table as the waitress, Emi-chan, appeared to take their orders. She had apparently gone to apply lip gloss in the time they spent finding their seats, damning evidence that she was trying to entice the young man next to him who seemed either oblivious or purposefully ignorant of the detail. Knowing his reputation, he couldn't imagine the man not noticing.

Agasa was already enjoying a glass of iced tea with a plate of sandwiches so that left the two teenagers to order. Hakuba realized he hadn't actually paid any attention to the menu and glanced quickly to see if they still had the same pork cutlet plate he had eaten the last time, thankful that they did. That and a black tea would be plenty. Kudou ended up ordering an iced coffee and chicken karaage with a smile, despite his earlier complaints of easily getting bored with the simple bento boxes he could purchase at the convenience store. It was an interesting detail. The choice in food, he clarified for himself. Not the smiling.

"Besides, you're better at explaining the science behind it, Hakase," Kudou carried on as the girl nearly skipped away, delighted. It was starting to border into a lead on if he really had no intentions toward her. After a moment he was able to pull his attention away from her and back to the conversation at hand.

"I'm sorry, the science behind what exactly?"

"Aha! I'm glad you asked!" The professor was suddenly leaning much too close and speaking much too loud. The man was surprisingly childlike for his age, looking conspiratorial as he gestured across the table. "Shinichi, show him the shoes! You're wearing them still, right?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

Hakuba turned to see Kudou pulling up his knee to rest his shoe on the seat beneath him. Rather than telling him off for performing such a rude action however, he was drawn in by the odd design of the footwear. Looking much like generic green high tops, he was actually surprised to see the specific pattern in which the design was laid out, as if leaving room for some very complicated circuitry. Leaning in, he could even see that the decorative white circle on the side was actually made of some sort of strong polymer rather than the normal leather or canvas. It was a dial, he realized.

"I call them Power-Enhancing Kick Shoes!" Agasa declared cheerfully, earning a few irritable looks from other patrons before quieting down. "Using magnetic fields, the shoes can generate a powerful electrical current that stimulates the muscles in the legs and feet, allowing the wearer to more than triple their output of strength."

"This pair is the second and newest iteration." Kudou was putting his foot back on the floor before Hakuba even realized he had been leaning over to stare the whole time. One could hardly blame him for his interest so he felt no regret in doing so, but glancing back up is what sent him into a tailspin. They were nearly nose to nose and he was positively winded by the abrupt realization, feeling as though Kudou Shinichi had shoved his fist against his ribs once again.

Hakuba jerked back suddenly, eyes wide and an apology wobbling on the tip of his tongue but he didn't even have the chance to speak before Agasa was continuing his rambling speech on the intricacies of the hardware and Kudou was ribbing him about some pun. The words fell on deaf ears, Hakuba's panic forcing him to shut down and reboot immediately lest he say or do something foolish. It could have only lasted a few seconds but by the time he started absorbing his surroundings again, the food had arrived and the other two were engrossed in conversation about some new project of the professor's.

Did Kudou not realize just how close their faces were? Maybe Hakuba had overreacted and they hadn't been that close at all. But then again, Kudou was playing off the advances of their flirtatious waitress even now as she whispered about giving him a few extra pieces of fried chicken with a wink, so maybe he had noticed and was only sparing him the embarrassment. He had to wonder which of those options would be the worst.

There was no point worrying about the past, even if that particular past had happened a few seconds ago. The social ramifications wouldn't be immediate despite his pounding heart's insistence that he was in danger. There was time to address it later. For now, he ate in silence as the other two chatted amicably over their own meals, only offering a clipped response when prompted. A simple lunch with an acquaintance had somehow turned into a meeting completely outside his realm of comfort and it was his own fault.

"Oh, shoot! I'm going to be late," Agasa yelped suddenly, dabbing a napkin against his mustache as he checked the time. They both watched him stand quickly, fussing with his wallet in a rush. "Sorry, I promised the kids that they could come over and watch the new Kamen Yaiba special at 6:00. If they miss the beginning, I'll never hear the end of it..."

"No problem. Don't worry about the check, I can get it." There was a wistful expression on his face as he said it, as if he was feeling nostalgic about something. It was gone as quick as it came though and Kudou was waving his hand dismissively when it looked as though the man was ready to argue. "Seriously, get going before you get in trouble. I've got it."

"Thanks, Shinichi. I'll be going then," he sighed, tucking the wallet back into his pocket and stepping away with a nod. Hakuba watched him until the wooden dividers blocked out everything but the top of the man's balding head.

"So, is the mystery solved then?"

"Huh?" Hakuba turned back to see Shinichi watching him, chin resting on his hand, elbow on the table. The guy was so effortlessly charming in everything he did and it was evoking a bit of jealousy on his part. It always took so much thought and purpose for Hakuba to create that same atmosphere and yet Kudou seemed to wear it like a mantle and crown.

"The case of the mysterious microwave," he teased, grin turning sharp as he tilted his head.

"There's no need to be cheeky," he coughed around a stilted laugh of his own. "Yes, I suppose that my questions have been answered in that regard. Quite the remarkable concept your neighbor thought up. I doubt there are very many practical uses for it in the mass market but it provides a surprisingly powerful edge for a private detective. I perish the thought of such a thing being available to the public though. Who knows what kind of disasters that might cause."

"Well it's a good thing there are only two pairs in existence then."

"And just who else exactly has been allowed the other pair?" He was almost scared to find out.

"Ah, those belonged to Conan."

"Conan? As in Edogawa Conan?" Hakuba asked, cataloguing a multitude of details all at once. The hesitance in his voice as Kudou explained, the fact that Edogawa Conan was in possession of such a dangerous tool, and the realization that such an item would absolutely explain the child's record as the Kid Killer. The small part of him that wasn't horrified at the prospect was actually a little amused to imagine the look on the thief's face when the three foot tall sleuth not only ripped apart his riddles for the first time but also launched a makeshift missile at his head courtesy of those shoes. There was a vague sense of relief that Kudou himself hadn't used them to take Kid's head off yet. Someone Conan's size would be a danger, but the full size detective would be deadly.

"Yeah, he got the first model. Hakase made him those shoes since he was always getting into trouble. At least he'd be able to defend himself if he bit off more than he could chew." Kudou shrugged off the explanation, avoiding eye contact as he prodded the crumbs on his empty plate.

"And here I thought the boy's mental acumen made him dangerous enough," Hakuba chuckled, swallowing hard. He remembered how frightfully sharp Conan had been on the two ocassions in which they had met. "To think he also had something like that in his possession. Another piece of the puzzle that is Edogawa Conan, I suppose."

"Yeah," Kudou laughed, looking far more awkward with this topic of conversation than anything else. The kid was intimidating to be sure, but he didn't know if it was alarming enough to cause either of them to be so nervous. "Anyway, now you know the truth about what happened. I told you it wasn't nearly as strange as it seemed."

"It still begs the question of why you lied to the police about such a thing," Hakuba pointed out, unable to brush over such a thing. His father was the Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, and while his father could be relatively lenient at times, Hakuba was certain that he wouldn't take to kindly to the discovery that one of the force's top civilian consultants was fudging report details. The discomfort on the other detective's face was evidence as well that he knew he was caught doing something shady. It didn't make sense for such an upstanding citizen to act in such a way.

"About that..." There was a long moment of hesitation but he allowed him to choose his words carefully so long as he provided them in the end. The cute way he was pouting would do nothing to grant him a pardon in this. "I didn't want to tell Megure-keibu about the shoes. I used them before during another case and ended up breaking a patrol car door off its hinges. He said if I ever did it again that he'd confiscate them..."

Silence followed, Kudou staring down at the table like a scolded child and Hakuba desperately fighting off the urge to immediately forgive his transgressions. It was too cute honestly, and by far the best case scenario. The explanation didn't make it right and in the end it was downright childish to do such a thing, but he couldn't begrudge the boy wanting to keep from losing the shoes.

"Even so, you shouldn't lie to them," he finally settled on as a response, his gaze falling away to keep from staring too long at his face. "Those sorts of habits can lead to much worse offenses. And lying about the wrong thing could eventually end up as aiding or abetting a criminal without you even realizing it, Kudou-kun."

"Yeah, I know..." At least he wasn't arguing.

"And you can hardly blame the inspector for worrying about the amount of prospective property damage. With enough time and effort, you could probably level a building with those bloody things."

"Probably..." He sounded penitent even.

"So I'll ask that you not repeat such a mistake in the future. As the son of the Superintendent General, I could hardly ignore such a thing a second time."

"So you won't tell?" Kudou asked, perking up at the possibility. He looked so hopeful that Hakuba felt he might agree even if he had been planning otherwise.

"Not this time," he huffed in response, looking away to keep from being swayed any further. This new weakness needed to be dealt with.

"Thanks, Hakuba."

Four, his brain insisted and he couldn't keep ignoring it.

"That's the fourth time," he finally pointed out. Once, in the middle of the night when they were both exhausted from the events of the day, he could dismiss such a thing. But he had continued to do so even now. "That's the fourth time you've called me 'Hakuba' with no honorifics. Despite my lack of practice, having spent the first half of this year in England, I haven't forgotten something a simple as that."

"Oh, was it bothering you?" Kudou asked, looking apologetic and immediately leaning away from his space. It caused such an ache of regret that Hakuba nearly took it all back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"I wouldn't use the term 'bothering' exactly..." He was tripping over his own words. Was this really how people made friends? Stumbling over themselves trying to form some social connection that neither party was fully assured of. It felt a bit like the swooping feeling in his gut when he missed the last stair and had to catch himself. He didn't like it. "I don't mind it at all honestly. It only caught my attention because we hardly know each other."

"You said you wanted to get to know me better though, right?" Hakuba glanced up at his response, somehow finding stability in the way Kudou smiled at him. He was so ridiculously friendly and open and that was exactly the reason Hakuba had so easily latched on to him before. People like that were difficult to come by.

"Y-yes, that's what I said." How could he forget making such a forward declaration?

"Well then, now you know that I don't use honorifics with my friends."

Friends. Hakuba almost spit out the sip of tea he had taken to calm his nerves. After all the awkward conversations and miscommunication he found it hard to believe. Their interactions had be positive at least but Hakuba couldn't remember a single moment where he had offered anything of interest or use that Kudou might see as a benefit. That alone had him feeling far more hopeful than he felt was appropriate.

"And I don't expect them in return either," he continued. "So 'Kudou' is fine. If you want."

"Alright then... Kudou." Somehow it felt unnatural to say but then the guy was smiling again and Hakuba was filled with relief. A colleague and a friend.

God, he couldn't wait to shove that in Kuroba's face tomorrow.

"Good. Now I'm going to go settle the check." Hakuba opened his mouth to argue as he stood but Kudou was waving his hand at him just as he had with Agasa. "I invited you, remember? It's the least I can do for dragging you to Beika. And not to mention getting you involved in a murder case at the station."

"I see. That's very generous of you. Thank you, Kudou." He wondered if Kudou ever really stopped smiling as the boy ducked out of the area to pay for the three meals. Of course he knew the answer to that, having seen plenty of irritation on his face on the night of the heist. Now it felt completely out of place for him to look so frustrated after seeing just how warm and affable he could be. He let himself be distracted by those thoughts as he finished his tea, setting the empty cup down just as Kudou rejoined him.  
"All done? I can walk you back to the station then."

"Yes, thank you for taking care of the meal."

They passed by Emi once again as they were leaving and even though she was smiling a little brighter at his companion still, he found himself far less irritated by it than he had been before. As if there was a threat he no longer faced and his shoulders could finally relax.

"How about this. We can play 20 questions on the way to the station," Kudou suddenly said once they were back out on the sidewalk.

"20 questions?" he repeated, for assurance rather than clarification. He was familiar with the concept but surprised by the sudden delivery.

"Yeah, I'll ask you a question, you answer, and then you ask me a question. I don't know if we can both get to 20 before we get there but it's worth a shot isn't it? I'm not very good at the whole natural progression thing and it's not like we see each other every day so something like this is quick and efficient, don't you think?"

"I see, and I suppose I agree. Well then, ask away."

"Alright, then my first question is... what's your hawk's name?" he asked, and it was absolutely the sort of question that might give another pause. How did he even know he had a hawk?

"You saw the scratches on my hand, I take it?" he asked and the grin he got was answer enough. Even with the heavy glove he used to allow her to perch could only do so much. Every once in awhile those talons still poked through. "Watson, a red-tailed hawk and nearly 7 years old now."

"Yeah? I'd like to meet her sometime," he laughed and something felt strange about it but he couldn't quite place it. "Your turn."

"Alright. Well then, who have you been eating dinner with recently? You said you get bored of convenience store food quickly but you still ordered the fried chicken, which means you haven't been eating bento or Kinsey's takeout for at least a few days. And if you only eat those when you're on your own, I can only assume someone has been cooking for you."

"I'm caught on that one but it's not a big deal. I got my best friend a cookbook for her birthday and she's been sharing everything she makes from it for the past couple of weeks. I feel like I'm getting spoiled."

"She's a fantastic chef then, I take it."

"Phenomenal. My turn. Is it billiards and fencing, or just billiards?" Calluses, he realized.

"Both, though I haven't held an actual foil in several years now. My father felt that it was a more refined practice than singlestick. Do you rappel?"

"Rappel?"

"There are scars on your hand indicative of the activity, though I've never seen someone rappel with such a flat rope." Kudou looked his hand over, seeming to understand.

"Oh, I guess you could say that. It's not exactly a hobby though, more out of necessity than desire. But the 'rope' was actually a weird material the professor designed and you're right. It was flat enough to hide against my body anyway."

"A brilliant scientist, it seems."

"Sometimes... Do you go to school in Toshima or Ekoda?" Train line. Uniform.

"Ekoda High School. I'd ask if you attended Teitan but it seems rather obvious from the blazer. I'm starting to run out of questions though."

"Yeah, this game is hard to keep going when you can figure out so much just from looking."

"Generic questions then," Hakuba decided. Things he wouldn't be able to deduce from looks alone. "What is your favorite color?"

"It's green," he laughed as they finally approached Haido Station. Kudou paused outside the doors to the terminal. "What's yours?"

"Blue, I would think. Favorite food?"

"Hmm, lemon pie."

"That's hardly a food."

"You eat it, don't you?"

"Yes, I suppose you do," Hakuba chuckled.

"What's your favorite food?"

"It doesn't seem fair that you're copying my questions."

"They're perfectly valid questions to ask," Kudou answered, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking far too smug.

"Parmigiana di melanzane, then."

"Really?" An incredulous reply that had Hakuba shrugging his shoulders.

"It's a very popular dish at my favorite restaurant back in England. They layer in very thinly sliced button mushrooms and it makes for an excellent, albeit nontraditional flavor. Is there something strange about that?"

"Not really. I think I was just expecting something English."

"I do like English food, about as well as I enjoy Japanese food, but I particularly like Italian."

"La Cucina."

"I'm sorry?"

"La Cucina," Kudou repeated, unperturbed. "It's an Italian restaurant in Shinjuku. Pretty good from what I hear."

"Are you offering me a recommendation?" Hakuba asked, watching him very carefully as he responded.

"Actually I was asking if you wanted to go sometime," he clarified, and Hakuba noticed for the first time since they had become acquainted that Kudou was looking unsure of himself. Standing there with his hands in his pocket, scuffing his far too expensive canvas shoes against the pavement, and unable to meet his eye. It was the first real indication Hakuba had that he wasn't the only one still figuring things out. "I haven't been so I don't actually know if it's any good or not but-"

"Yes, I'd like that," he cut in, this time uncaring of the connotation. They were friends now. Such things could be forgiven.

"Really?" His head snapped up like a rocket and Hakuba felt a bit like he was the one dangling the carrot this time. "Alright. We can message later and figure out when we're both free."

"Of course. Thank you for the invitation. Though I believe it will be my turn to treat you, despite it being your request," Hakuba insisted, straightening himself up as he prepared to depart. He knew immediately that Kudou would argue that point though.

"It's way too expensive. I can pay for myself," came the rebuttal, almost as if on a timer.

"Nonsense. You've already treated me to dinner this evening. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not returning the favor."

"Hakuba, that's..."

"Perfectly acceptable," he continued for him, only relaxing when he saw Kudou sigh. He was giving in. Good.

"Fine, it's in your hands then."

"I will take care of everything. Now, I believe the next train back to Ekoda leaves in approximately ten minutes so I'll be taking my leave."

"Yeah, yeah. Travel safely," Kudou sighed, looking hesitant but resigned to the situation.

"Thank you. Take care getting home." He turned before he could talk himself into staying longer, walking briskly into the station to purchase his ticket and spending the next hour navigating the transit system before calling Baaya to pick him up from Ekoda Station. She was entirely displeased with his sudden appointment that day but not even her stern lecture could keep the subtle grin off his face for the remainder of the night.

And when his classmates asked him about it the next morning, Hakuba had cheerfully told them that he greatly enjoyed a wonderful evening out with his new 'friend'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, banging pots and pans together: "YOU. ARE. IN. LOVE. WITH. HIM."


	5. Pleading The Fifth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kudou Shinichi and Sera Masumi talk about his new 'friend'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Hakuba Saguru this time but a little bit of Shinichi's perspective

It was hardly shocking to find a message from Sera Masumi on his phone when he checked it for the first time in over an hour and Shinichi rolled his eyes when he noticed that she had sent it to him only a few minutes after parting ways earlier in the day. She had been one of several classmates asking about the handsome blond detective that had appeared in the papers after the recent incident at Haido City Hotel and if there was anyone who could rival the queen of gossip Suzuki Sonoko in sticking their nose into other people’s business it would definitely be her.

 _Call me later!_ it said, masking the insidious intent with the tiny yellow grin of an emoji. He didn’t buy her faux innocence for one second but he also had a decent walk home and nothing to hold his attention so he played into it as he wandered away from Haido Station. It would give him something to do at least.

“So that was him, right?” she answered loudly the moment the line connected and Shinichi flinched away from the noise on instinct, his brow furrowing.

“Why are you even asking after you worked the case with him? He introduced himself right?” Shinichi sighed, shoving his free hand into his pocket as he walked.

“He didn’t actually. Seemed a bit distracted the whole time.” Her voice had taken on that particular lilt that told him she knew something she wasn’t supposed to and was ready to hold it over his head. He knew she’d never come right out and say it either, forcing him to figure it out on his own if he wanted answers.

“Well you were in the middle of a murder investigation,” he offered, probing for more information.

“Hmm, I suppose that’s true,” she answered, providing him with absolutely nothing.

Shinichi’s frown deepened. It was probably something that would turn out to be somewhat embarrassing but harmless in the end and he wasn’t sure he had the patience to seek it out. A nice dinner with a friend could only hold his good mood for so long and he had a book report to finish before Friday so his patience was starting to run thin.

“So? What did you want to talk about? You told me to call. It wasn’t just to ask more questions about Hakuba, was it?”

“I wanted to see how your dinner with the professor went,” she chirped in that same tone that Shinichi knew was an omen of his own future torment. He ignored it, focusing instead on the sound of shuffling papers and a faint news program playing in the background. If she had gone home then there was no danger of her chasing him down to harass him in person at least. He knew mentioning the meeting with Agasa had probably been a mistake on his part but the guys in his class had been heckling him about texting his wife at lunch and Ran’s denial had sent the class into a frenzy about his apparent infidelity. He _had_ to say something.

“It went fine,” he huffed out alongside a yawn. It was still light out but faint purple hues were starting to encroach on the horizon. Without some sort of casework to keep him occupied it would probably be an early night. “A normal, non-crime scene dinner, no further mysteries to add.”

“Except the mystery of your secret meeting with a pretty foreigner,” she teased and Shinichi finally understood what she had been getting at, his face starting to flush in irritation.

“Knock it off. If you keep talking like that those girls in class are going to jump down my throat,” he growled, frustration apparent. His friends had led the interrogation, but several other girls in his class had been present and keen on hearing every detail Shinichi had to provide about one Hakuba Saguru. He had been so easily replaced as his class’ favorite crime idol that he had actually become a little jealous at first, feeling like they were getting bored of him. As if reading his mind, Ran had assured him that he would always be their favorite but he pretended like he had no idea what she was talking about.

“I won’t tell. Besides, he’s not my type so it’s not like I’m gonna try to steal him from you.” The way she laughed told him it was only a joke but he felt defensive anyway, his shoulders hiking up as he glared at his phone.

“What are you even talking about? I don’t have a monopoly on his time. If you want to consult him on casework then go right ahead.”

“You’re so ridiculous sometimes.”

“Sorry for being ridiculous.”

He didn’t need to see her to know she was rolling her eyes at him, flopping back in her desk chair it sounded like when his ears were assaulted by the creak of cheap plastic.

“You’re being obtuse on purpose,” she accused and even though he couldn’t think of anything he was actively trying to hide from her, he still somehow felt like he had been caught.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m talking about Hakuba-kun.”

“Still?”

“Yes, you idiot. I wanna know why you’re so intent on hiding the fact that the two of you are talking. Normal people don’t do stuff like that without a reason,” she explained, sounding exasperated with his lack of answers. It served her right for keeping things from him too.

“Well, we’re both fully aware that I’m not exactly normal.” Another non-answer.

“No, you have a small circle of friends and severe trust issues. But we aren’t talking about some shady individual coming up to you and trying to poke you for personal details.”

“Then you know exactly why I’m doing it.”

“If that were the case then you wouldn’t have invited him to Beika to meet the professor. You’d keep him at a cordial distance and only give the minimum amount of information.”

“How do you know I told him anything important?” he asked incredulously, challenging her skills as a detective and feeling an awful lot like a cornered suspect. It didn’t feel good and he was glad he was almost home.

“Because you let him meet your number one confidante from when you were tiny and scared, hiding from a group of killers that would shoot you on sight.” It was a topic they rarely discussed and Shinichi could feel her hesitance in bringing up even if it was a valid point. “If you were worried about his intentions there’s no way you would have let them meet.”

“And if I just don’t want the whole class asking me about him?” he countered, a last ditch effort. It sounded desperate even to his own ears.

“Then you’d tell them you can’t talk about cases with them. But you didn’t because your connection extends outside of casework.” Her smile was almost audible.

“You’re a menace.”

“You haven’t been paying attention to my progress.”

“So what conclusions have you drawn then, oh great detective,” Shinichi sighed as he dug out his house key, punching in the gate code with his knuckle. Part of him was hesitant to hear her deduction but he was also extremely curious.

Hakuba was an interesting individual to be sure, and Shinichi enjoyed his company even if their conversations could be awkward at times. Comparing his first meeting with him as Conan - where he had played the suave young gentleman with little issue - and his first meeting with Shinichi - where he had been an easily frustrated mess - Hakuba Saguru almost seemed to be a different person. He had almost anticipated being treated with the same sweetly sarcastic personality that Hattori had despised but that hadn’t been the case at all. Hakuba had been nothing if not polite and genuine in their interactions, despite the distraction of Nakamori Ginzo’s hollering.

“Well,” he heard her start and Shinichi found himself drawing in a short breath as he slipped into his house. There was a brief moment of panic where his brain demanded that he hang up the phone and stop listening because he knew she was about to say something devastating but he froze it out, his muscles actually clenching to keep still. “I think you want to hide the fact that you’ve got a crush on him.”

Silence.

Then…

“You’re delusional.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a little celebrity crush!” she laughed and Shinichi felt like his face was going to catch fire with how rapidly and completely it had heated. He kicked the door shut behind him and tossed the key onto the table by the stairs.

“He’s not even really a celebrity,” he argued, but realized that would make it a regular crush and there was no way he’d admit something like that either. “We’re friends, Sera. That’s it. We have a lot in common and I like hanging out with him.”

“You’re keeping your relationship secret from the public and inviting him to dinner with your adoptive grandfather. You didn’t do that with me.”

“I was three feet tall and actively hiding my identity from you,” he argued as he stomped up the stairs. Really, this girl was being ridiculous.

“And now you’re 5’9” and broadening your interests.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry!” she chuckled and he paused, listening intently but impatiently. “Did you at least get a second date?”

He hung up before she could break down in laughter, tossing his phone onto the bed before himself and slumping down into the blankets to hide his red face from the world. How did she expect him to take her seriously when she was talking like that? Asking him personal questions and accusing him of some thinly veiled romantic intent. He had made a new friend and there was nothing to be ashamed of.

Shinichi realized though that he had indeed gotten that ‘second date’ and pulled the pillow over himself to muffle a scream.

Maybe he did have a crush, but he wasn’t about to tell that to someone like Sera Masumi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Article 38 of the Japanese Constitution states that no person shall be compelled to testify against himself.
> 
> As if Sera even needs a confession to see the truth.


	6. Six Feet Under

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kudou Shinichi has terrible luck with dinner dates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a recent incident involving my 12-year-old laptop and a bottle of Coca-Cola that led to several headaches and a late update. As such, I barely managed to recover what I had already written for this chapter and ended up writing the second half after a noticeable gap in time. Please pay no mind if it feels as though I switched gears partway through. I lost my train of thought and continued the best I could.

It turned out that Saturday happened to be the next day that the two boys shared off so plans were made rapidly and Hakuba had called in a few favors to make sure they had a reservation at La Cucina. There had been a decent amount of convincing done to get Kudou to let him handle it like he said he would in the first place but Hakuba had won out in the end. He’d always been skilled in the art of persuasion and so guilting Kudou into allowing him to repay a perceived debt did wonders to quiet his concerns. At least for now. Hakuba decided to prepare for a possible coup at the restaurant based on his past experiences with the man, which was why he had decided to go ahead and give his card before they were even seated. Kudou Shinichi was nothing if not determined so it was only a mild deterrent but it would have to do.

He didn’t miss the way Kudou’s eyes followed the hand off, calculating and thoughtful, and he got the distinct impression that he hadn’t heard the last of it. Most of the people Hakuba treated to dinner were thankful he picked up the check so it was almost refreshing to fight for it. Then again, several of those people had probably been hanging around him because he often paid the bill. Kuroba had blatantly taken advantage of it on more than one occasion, and while Koizumi and Nakamori were less obvious about it he could tell they appreciated it as well. He didn’t mind spoiling his friends though - even if Kuroba was only a ‘friend’ by the barest of definitions.

“We could split it, you know,” Kudou started, whispering to him as they were led to a quiet section near the back. It took a good chunk of self-control to keep Hakuba from cutting him off before he could even finish that sentence but he waited politely for the opportunity to deny him once again.

“I will not allow you to change my mind in this matter, Kudou. It has already been decided.” He saw another aborted attempt to argue from the corner of his eye but thankfully it was dropped once again. It almost felt like a game and Hakuba was winning so who could blame him for smiling? That smug satisfaction held until they were seated and Kudou had definitely picked up on it if the flat stare on his face was anything to go by.

Hakuba chuckled, shaking his head a bit at the silent rebellion. He could tell that Kudou wanted to argue his point but had run out of words to do it so he had decided on a silent argument that Hakuba was going to ignore.

“I do believe they have my favorite here,” Hakuba tried instead, glancing over the menu and immediately spotting the parmigiana. The decision was made. It was unfortunate though that he couldn’t ask for a wine list because a lovely glass of chianti or sangiovese would have been a lovely addition. Alas, even though he would be turning 18 in only a few short weeks the legal drinking age in Japan was higher than the UK and this was no family dinner where bottles of wine were provided to the table with no questions asked. Family tradition was a powerful thing but they were only a couple of teenagers here.

“It’s aubergine, isn’t it?” Kudou asked, taking the time to look over the menu. He looked completely at ease in this setting, a telltale sign of practice or experience. Hakuba was the same, given his family’s position. A man didn’t make Superintendent General without accepting at least some of the benefits that came with it and his father had always had a bit of a weakness for the finer things in life.

“It is. Thinly sliced and fried, then layered with parmigiano or mozzarella - sometimes both - and a pasta sauce, then baked. There are a few different variations but I’ve yet to find one I didn’t enjoy,” he explained, folding his hands together in his lap as he sat back in the chair.

“It doesn’t sound bad, but I think I’ll try the Bolognese,” he answered, setting the menu down then and reaching for the complimentary glass of water provided.

“Of course. An excellent choice.”

An awkward silence followed, only interrupted by the server taking their orders for food and drink. One hot and one iced coffee were delivered within minutes and Hakuba was thankful for it, unsure how to continue their conversation. A cautious sip of coffee was an excellent time waster.

“We never finished our game,” Kudou said suddenly and Hakuba was thankful that he had already set the cup down.

“Our game…? Oh, you mean the one with all the questions?”

“Yeah, you only got to ask four and I had just gotten through number five, so I believe it’s your turn to ask.”

“I suppose it is. But are you planning to copy my questions again?” he asked teasingly, leaning closer to the table and Kudou laughed in response.

“How about this then: when we ask a question, we have to answer it too. That way all the questions are different.” A suitable compromise, he thought.

“Alright then. What is your favorite book? Mine happens to be The Valley of Fear. Holmes, of course.”

“The Sign of the Four,” Kudou answered easily. “What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t a detective? I’d probably be acting if my mother had her way.”

“I would have thought you would choose football. I heard you were quite skilled,” Hakuba pointed out.

“I enjoy it, but if not for wanting to be a detective I don’t know if I would’ve even picked it up. It was a decision based entirely on physical requirement rather than any actual interest.”

“I see. An interesting assessment. If I hadn’t developed an interest in detective work then several hobbies of my own would be eliminated as well. I suppose I’ve always had a strong interest in the sciences so if not following in my father’s footsteps, perhaps my uncle’s would have been more suitable.” The conversation reminded him that he hadn’t actually visited the lab his uncle owned in quite awhile. He was long overdue for a visit.

“Uncle?”

“Our family owns a research laboratory and my father’s younger brother is the lead scientist there. I have, on occasion, used those available assets to get ahead of the police,” he admitted. “It’s how I profiled Kaitou Kid for the task force and collected my list of most likely suspects. A fat lot of good it’s done though…”

“Sounds difficult.”

“Very much so…” he sighed, returning that placating smile with one of his own just as their meals arrived. “I do believe we’ll never finish our game at this rate,” he chuckled.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

At least the food was delicious, and the silence that accompanied it was much more comfortable this time around. It felt warm almost and gave him a sort of natural sensation that he couldn’t quite place. He felt at ease with his present company and it was a feeling he couldn’t enjoy very often. Meals with his parents had always been a formal affair, stuffy in the way that only an atmosphere of wealth could create. Going to cafés after class with his new mish-mash of schoolmates was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and almost too casual. It was a culture he had no experience with and he spent more of his time learning than enjoying the activity.

But sitting there with Kudou Shinichi at a restaurant requiring a reservation and boasting a semi-formal dress code had him feeling a bit like Goldilocks. It was that particular middle ground of interpersonal connection that felt ‘just right’. His preferred suit and tie didn’t look out of place and he was allowed to speak and act casually without repercussions. It was freeing.

And that feeling lasted all the way up until an ear-splitting scream rang out through the room and both he and his companion jumped to their feet. There was a single shared glance between them, as if asking whether or not they should get involved, but they both came to the same conclusion. They were detectives after all, both running toward the sound of commotion and finding a finely dressed young woman collapsed on the ground, her apparent date for the evening yelling for someone to call an ambulance while he tried to calm the woman’s convulsing.

Hakuba crouched down next to them to check her vitals while Kudou cleared the space and took charge of the onlookers. Unfortunately, by the time he had even gotten close to feel for a pulse the woman had already stilled, staring blankly across the dark hardwood floor where she lay. There was no longer a pulse and her last rattling breath spilled out over blue lips. With a sigh, Hakuba pulled the watch from his breast pocket to document the time.

“Victim is deceased as of 20:16:59,” he stated aloud just as Kudou returned, a deep set frown on his face at the news.

“No way…” Hakuba turned to the pale looking man sitting on the floor next to them, watching him in horror as he read out the time. He looked as if he was about to be sick as he turned back to her, hesitantly reaching out one shaky hand. “That can’t… She was just…”

“You have my condolences, but I must ask you not to touch the body of the deceased. Considering she was poisoned it would be in your best interest not to alter the evidence in any way,” Hakuba warned, not at all surprised at the stricken look of anger that crossed his face. It was common in the wake of tragedy to lash out and he had grown accustomed to it in the more violent cases he involved himself in. Surprisingly, nothing came of it because Kudou had intervened, placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I know this must be difficult. Will you have a seat over here? The police should arrive in just a little while,” he said, plastering on the sort of charm Hakuba had only ever seen on doctors trying to comfort people in the midst of a crisis. The man complied and was led to a chair a few tables away but even so, his anger and suspicion did not dissipate.

“Why should I listen to a couple of kids, huh?” he growled, barely holding in a simmering rage that was only visible in the way his shoulders tensed. There was a fire in his eyes as he stared Kudou down.

“It’s not a requirement of course, just a suggestion,” Hakuba answered, not liking the way he was openly glaring at his friend. “Seeing as the man in front of you is Kudou Shinichi.”

The recognition sent a new wave of murmurs through the crowd around the table. Even after a stint of inactivity, his was still a household name in Japan. The whole Kudou family was famous and being so young and charismatic had landed their son in the altogether unique position of spontaneously becoming an unconventional idol. Being a minor had offered him some relative privacy but that wouldn’t continue into adulthood and it looked as though Kudou had no plans of backing down in his career.

“‘Kudou’…? You’re that high school detective then?” the man asked, turning to him and visibly relaxing. Being the prime suspect in the murder of his dinner date, it worked in his favor to at least act like he wanted the case to be solved. Kudou, on the other hand, was giving Hakuba a look full of so much exhaustion that he almost apologized. For what, he couldn’t say but it must have something to do with the way a few of the other dinner guests and servers had pulled out their phones to start recording. He offered an apologetic smile at the very least.

“I am. And that’s Hakuba Saguru, a fellow detective and son of the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Force,” Kudou answered, the last part spoken with a tone that sounded a bit like payback. If the way several of them starting splitting their attention between the two was anything to go by then he had been successful. Hakuba hated having so much attention drawn to him simply due to his father’s standing. He didn’t know if Kudou knew that prior to pointing it out, but if he hadn’t then he did now.

They quickly moved on to pinpointing suspects in the case, deciding that the dinner date, the waitress who served them, and the man seated at the closest table were the most likely suspects. None of them were all too keen to accept that outcome but it was hard to deny the evidence.

The victim’s name was Takahara Misako, a 23-year-old office worker with a notoriously terrible temper. She often visited La Cucina and had apparently been known to berate the staff on multiple occasions, nearly getting kicked out on a few. She and her boyfriend, Yamamoto Rin, had been celebrating their 1 year anniversary with a dinner date. There were several accounts of the two of them arguing that night and Misako had gotten so out of hand that she ended up throwing her glass of water at the waitress in question, Tanaka Hikaru. It was during this time that Ito Daizo, an elderly gentleman at the adjoining table, had gotten involved and reprimanded her for her actions. Not wanting to create a scene, Misako quieted down and there had been no further outbursts until the poisoning incident.

And all of that information was immediately relayed to Megure-keibu on his eventual arrival. The look on his face told them that he was obviously less than ecstatic to run into them again so soon. It was a far cry from early in Kudou Shinichi’s career when the inspector would have been overjoyed to find him already working the case but the oversaturation of detectives in Tokyo meddling in his investigations had obviously jaded him.

“You’re well on your way to an attendance bonus, Hakuba-kun,” Megure joked. There was a good-natured humor in it that was paired with a note of sarcasm that Hakuba was coming to appreciate. It was far less abrasive than Nakamori Ginzo’s sense of humor.

“Please pass that information along to the good Nakamori-keibu. I’m sure he’d be happy to take care of the payout,” he chuckled and it got a genuine laugh out of the man.

“I think he’s got his hands plenty full with all the overtime worksheets he has to fill out when Kaitou Kid makes an appearance.”

“So he does.”

“And Kudou-kun too,” Megure sighed as the other teen approached from where he had been questioning the kitchen staff. “Aren’t I lucky.” It wasn’t a question and it didn’t seem to bother Shinichi anyway as he immediately launched into a detailed description of the events and evidence they had collected.

Hakuba realized that this was the first time he was actually able to see Kudou Shinichi work a case in person. He decided that the heist where they had met didn’t count, given that the riddle had already been solved by the time they even spoke and there was hardly any intellectual work to be done. And he hadn’t even seen him at Haido City Hotel. This was different. This was Kudou Shinichi in his favored terrain; methodically collecting and analyzing evidence, questioning the suspects, and explaining the trick to the police. That was what Hakuba had heard from his father, the whispers around the police station, and the handful of news articles he had seen over time. Most of it was factual it seemed, but there was something strange in the way he led the police through the investigation that caught his attention.

Even standing on the sidelines, Hakuba was watching Kudou carefully. Each new bit of evidence brought a previously hidden detail to light and he could almost pinpoint the moment the lightbulb lit up in the other detective’s mind because he was experiencing the epiphany as well. But rather than handing it off to the police or pointing out how it related to the case, Kudou Shinichi was making comments that seemed completely unrelated at first glance.

“Hey, Takagi-keiji,” he had once said. “Do you know what side of the plate the wine glass is meant to sit?”

“Ah, well for Italian dining it should be on the right, shouldn’t it?” the officer answered thoughtfully as he glanced at the table before immediately being struck with a realization. Since the victim’s left hand was the one with the cyanide reaction it made sense that she held the poisoned glass stem and handkerchief with her left, non-dominant hand. That only made sense if the glasses had been set on the wrong side and, sure enough, their table was the only one with the incorrect placement in the restaurant.

The officers quickly made the connections from there and discovered that the tableware had to have been deliberately placed like that by the waitress, Tanaka Hikaru. But there was no proof.

“I’m so sorry!” Kudou yelped, having spilled a small bit of wine on the front of the waitress’ shirt in a display that Hakuba could only call theatric. It had been completely deliberate but with everyone’s attention focused on the officers it was easy to mistake as a genuine accident. Right up until he reached for the small handkerchief in her half apron to help her clean it off, it could have been completely innocent.

“Don’t touch that!” she screamed, angrily jerking the cloth away from him and attracting the attention of everyone around. She tried to play it off but her obvious hesitance made her look all the more suspicious. When the officers looked closely, they found a lipstick stain that matched what the victim was wearing as well as a dark splotch of the pasta sauce from her plate. It was quickly determined that she had switched the two napkins during the meal, giving her the poisoned one instead. The waitress admitted to the crime then, seeing no other way out, and she was lead away by the police. The forensic evidence in her possession would condemn her in court.

“You didn’t get involved,” Kudou commented once he returned from his conversation with Megure.

“I did not,” he agreed simply. There was only silence in response and Kudou was looking at him with that same flat expression as when Hakuba had refused his request to split the check. He could only laugh as he decided to elaborate for him. “I wanted to see how you work.”

“How I work…? What, you didn’t believe I could?” he teased as he walked past, back toward their table. There would be no further service in the restaurant but they could at least get containers for takeout.

“Oh, I most assuredly believed that you had every capability of discovering the identity of the culprit. What I wanted to know was _how_ you would do it. Frankly, I’m a bit surprised. You’ve dashed my expectations.” He was being purposefully mysterious in his response, hoping to garner his attention. It seemed to be working so far.

“And what did you expect exactly?” Kudou asked, sounding genuinely interested. It brought a smile to his face.

“I expected exactly what I heard from the gossip that surrounds you. A ruthlessly intelligent man with compassion that is outmatched, which is true. But I also expected you to make a grand show of it all. Calling attention to the details of the case and pointing out the culprit like the conductor of a mysterious symphony.” He paused to hear Kudou’s laugh in response. “You’re obviously a showman, I can see your mother’s influence. But rather than claim center stage for yourself you directed the play from the wings and handed the script to the officers. A remarkable skill in and of itself.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit,” Kudou sighed, looking somewhere between amused and a bit nervous. Hakuba couldn’t imagine why.

“Kudou, you not only solved the case but you then subtly led the police around by the nose until they figured it out for themselves. Why give them all the credit?”

“Because it isn’t about the credit, I guess. I used to really enjoy being in the spotlight, you know? Doing interviews with reporters, getting fan mail and all that. It was always about the case but I can’t deny that I enjoyed the attention a little too much.” He sounded almost nostalgic and it seemed completely out of place for describing something that had happened within the past few years. Something drastic must have happened to cause such a change and Hakuba would almost be willing to bet money that it had something to do with his sudden disappearance. “I got humbled pretty harshly and so now, sometimes, I just let the police handle things.”

“So you do that every time?” he asked disbelievingly.

“Absolutely not,” he laughed as they started to collect their things. “I’m way too impatient to do that every time.”

“I see…”

It was a strange but honest new side of his companion that Hakuba found to be a bit endearing if he were being honest. The way he went about it all was almost like he was tutoring the officers in the art of deduction and Hakuba had no doubt that they would all be better for it in the end. He decided not to push into the reason for it all just yet. It was obviously a difficult subject so he dropped it for now to be discussed another time.

“Hey, Hakuba?” Kudou spoke up and he looked up from where he had been staring intently at the box in his hands.

“Sorry, yes? What is it?”

“Thanks for coming out to eat with me,” he said and it was paired with such a disarmingly charming smile that Hakuba nearly tripped over his own feet. “I know getting wrapped up in a murder investigation probably isn’t your preferred way to spend a Saturday night, but I’m glad we got to sit and talk some more.”

Hakuba’s heart was beating too fast. He was going to die, he decided, swallowing harshly just to get past the lump in his throat.

“I could never be disappointed in such pleasant company,” was the response his brain supplied and he wanted to stomp on his own foot for being so tactless. But it didn’t make that smile disappear and Hakuba distinctly caught the flush at the tips of his ears even as he looked away.

“I’m glad. We can try again sometime then.”

“We can?”

“If you want to…?”

Hakuba nodded, quickly. It was a sharp, jerky movement brought on by nerves and a strong desire to do exactly what Kudou was suggesting; spend more time together.

“I can think of no better way to spend my Saturdays.”

“Alright,” Shinichi chuckled, and Hakuba could see the red brighten on his ears. “I’ll message you tomorrow then?”

“Please do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many dates does it take to get to the center of this Tootsie Pop?
> 
> One.
> 
> Two.
> 
> THREE.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm love them  
> leave me be


End file.
